Lost World
by OtakuSailorV
Summary: Rin often wished that she could leave behind her humdrum life, and one day gets her wish. But when she is whisked away to a world where the people around her are like those she had created in her own imagination, she must question: What is the reality? AU
1. Default Chapter

**_Lost World_**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Is it the past I see  
When I look up to the heavens  
Believing in the magic  
That I know could never be _

I want to go where they are going  
Into the world they've been  
Can I open up my mind enough to see – Don McLean _**"Flight of Dragons"**_

* * *

****

Rin had always believed in that which she could not see, sometimes more than the things that she saw and touched every day. To her, the unknown was the most extraordinary thing, and the fear it generated in people only further proved its existence to her.

She daydreamed a lot, always the same dream. She wanted to see that which she could not. She wanted to break the limits of reality, to delve into some other world, to go to some other place, some other time.

Her imagination was not limited in any area, and she often came up with adventures for herself, as she would slide from strange world to strange world, discovering things never thought possible on her world.

This was what she wanted, lived for; it was everything to her. These dreams, these fancies, they meant the world to her, and she refused to let them go.

Her hobbies included reading excessively, writing and drawing characters for her stories. They were brilliant and well done. She had worked forever on them, pouring every last ounce of her careful scrutiny into their appearance, their attitude. Every aspect of the drawings and descriptions she made sure were as accurate as she wanted them to be. As if they were true, real people. If a character's eyes were not narrowed just right, she would throw out the whole picture and start over from scratch. She was a perfectionist in this area. And rightfully so, for her drawings were stunningly life like. Yet - for all this brilliance and scrutiny, she kept them all hidden, for fear of prying eyes.

Though she had learned when she was young never to speak of such idle dreams to those that she found would not understand. And very few would understand, so she told no one, in fear of having her fragile dreams dashed.

These dreams of both Western and Eastern culture; of dragons, unicorns, knights, samurai, ninja, noble lords, wise women, sages, miko's, and priests. They seemed childish to everyone else around her who had grown out of such things, but Rin was determined to hold onto them.

Fascinated with the idea of finding a lost realm where all such creatures still existed, she forgot her head one day and spilled her dreams out to her mother when her mother had asked what the child wanted most in the world.

Her mother had been joking of course when she spoke to the seven-year-old girl that day.

But Rin had been determined, and her eyes had sparkled brilliantly at her mother as she clenched her fists together happily and proclaimed in a loud tone what she wanted more than anything else in the world at that time. **_"Mommy, I want to see youkai."_**

That had been the last time she would mention the dream for eight more years. Her mother had laughed that day, her father had stifled a chuckle, and her brother and sister had teased her about it ever since.

Mortified that no one else believed that the creatures from old tales actually existed, Rin had dismissed the dream verbally, but was still dreaming about it secretly.

* * *

Rin walked drearily to school her elder sister Kagome walked beside her. "Cheer up Rin, school isn't so bad."

Rin looked sidelong at her sister. "Easy for you to say, you're only going to be at this place for one more year." She groaned.

"Actually, only a few more months, the school years half over already." Kagome corrected, smiling brightly as she imagined the end of her years at the dreadful building.

Rin sighed but brightened up slightly. "I guess you're right, it's not so bad."

Kagome beamed at her sister. "See? That's the spirit, today will go by like that." She proclaimed, snapping her fingers to emphasize the word.

But the day did not go by like 'that'. It actually was so far from going by 'just-like-that' that Rin had wondered briefly if grass was growing outside as her teacher spoke. It crawled by like a slug, making Rin miserable and draining all of her energy. Lying limply across her desk, Rin's eyes were half-closed as she awaited the end of the school day, and the deciding final bell.

The classroom hummed around her, with people making plans for the weekend, not one of them paying attention to the chestnut haired girl lying slumped across her desktop as they spoke. Rin closed her tired eyes, calming herself as she listened to the tick of her wristwatch.

The ticking noise soothed her, and Rin quickly let her mind slip away. She felt as if she was floating away, her mind thoughts becoming those of colored emotions rather than actual streams of thoughts. Amidst the gentle sway, she felt the eternal tug of reality somewhere in the back of her mind, but the ebbing tide of emotion carried her away to a place somewhere between sleep and fantasy.

Eventually, all thought patterns ceased, and she eased into a dream-like state. Not quite awake, but neither was she truly asleep. It was like she was in some trance. As the thoughts ceased though, something new arose in her mind.

Whispering voices echoed throughout her, flying across her mind with soft questions on their lips. But she did not hear a word. She was further soothed by the whispering words, for it somehow reminded of when she was a child and her mother would rock her to sleep, whispering sweet things to her as she brushed the hair from her face gently.

After a moment though, a strong voice – though still whispered – broke from among the others. _"Who are you?" _It was gone again before Rin could identify if it was her own mind speaking to her, or if it was somehow someone from the outside speaking.

Rin's mind voice answered of it's own accord, though it was slow, as if she were somehow uncertain. _'I am Rin Higurashi.' _Her mind replied.

The whispers continued in a steady motion as if nothing had happened. Though, soon, again a voice broke through. Only this time, this one was different. It sounded like a child's innocent inquiry rather than one from a person her own age like the last had been. _"Where do you live?" _It inquired sheepishly, in a meek tone as if afraid.

_'I live in Tokyo, Japan. . .with my family. . .' _Rin replied in the same groggy tone, the voice floating in from the back of her mind. She felt truly as if she didn't know these answers, but every time she was about to say so, some distant memory floated by and she snatched the answer up quickly without questioning where it had come from or why it comforted her. Still – it left her feeling empty and alone.

As before, the whispers went on before a masculine sounding voice came above the others this time. _"Who are your friends?" _

_'Friends. . . ?' _Rin's mind was puzzled, and when no answer came, and she faltered, the voices suddenly grew in her mind, roaring at her and striking out at her with their various questions.

_"What are you doing?"_

"_Why are you doing it?"_

_"Who do you think you are?"_

_"Don't you feel alone?"_

_"Why do you go on this way?" _

It was too much, Rin's mind was roaring with the questions. And she found it painful and disturbing, and yet she could not pull herself from the dream-like state.

Just as her fright was about to take over, the noise suddenly diminished. This was not a gradual drifting away of voices, no, instead, the noise abruptly stopped. The sudden lack of noise startled Rin more than the increase had. Just as she thought it was over though, a final voice rang out, loud and yet soft at the same time. Tentative and meek while still strong and demanding. The strange calmness and diversity brought a cold sweat to her body as it uttered its words; it's presence in her mind felt throughout her entire body. _"What are you searching for?" _

Suddenly, the bell screamed, ejecting her swiftly and carelessly back into harsh reality, and the classroom emptied before it had even finished. The teacher let out a contented sigh, smiling as he watched them go. Turning back, he noticed that Rin was taking her time getting out of the classroom. Slowly, she picked up her books as she slid out of her chair, and slung up her backpack just as slowly. Standing there for a brief moment, she caught her balance as the book-bag tried to sway her to one side, before striding silently out of the classroom.

"Have a good weekend, sensei." Rin mumbled as she passed him.

The teacher brightened, a bit confused at her behavior until he was awakened by the words. "You too, Rin. And make sure to get some sleep, you look like you need it."

Rin turned her head slightly, so that he could see her half-smile, the gloom in her eyes lifting a fraction. "I will, sensei, don't worry. I wouldn't want to fall asleep during your class."

The teacher laughed, waving good-bye.

* * *

Rin smeared the fake smile off her lips and trudged the rest of the way home alone. Kagome wasn't going to walk with her today, her elder sister had something else to attend to with her friends.

Rin rolled her eyes as she imagined the three friends that Kagome always had close by with her.

There was Yuka, the sarcastic and sometimes tomboy-ish one. She was a bit of a smart-mouth and always had to have the last word on everything. Though she was sweet and nice if you got to know her.

Then there was Eri who was nosy and a little pushy at times. She was sweet and innocent enough, but not as innocent as Ayumi.

Ah, yes, Ayumi. She was a horse of a different color altogether. She was bubbly and air-headed, she didn't often understand what Eri and Yuka were shouting about, but she was a good companion. She was one of those people you could tell your secrets to and never worry that she might tell someone else. This feeling probably came from the fact that Ayumi forgot almost everything as soon as she learned about it.

The four girls were often fighting and yelling at each other, but Rin could tell that it just showed how much they cared for each other. After all, they had been friends since they had been children.

Rin sighed, a small smile highlighting her features as she thought back on the latest little argument the girls had been having. _'Must be nice. . .to have friends like that. . .' _She thought dispassionately.

It wasn't that Rin was an outcast. Rin was nice and warm to everyone she encountered, unless otherwise provoked, but she had never bonded with any girls or boys for that matter, of her age in the way that Kagome and her friends had. Rin just did not feel connected to this plane for some reason.

She felt alone, though she knew that she wasn't. There would always be someone at home waiting for her. But still, she felt awkward and alone. She supposed that it came from the fact that she daydreamed too much. She figured that people must just find her empty-headed.

_'I read too much, I write too much, I drift off into other worlds too much. . .' _She ran off the list of her faults in her mind. Though others would not consider these 'faults' of any kind. It is quite hard to be down-to-earth when you are a teenager. Especially one that enjoys staying home instead of going out on the weekends. _'I just don't fit in here.' _

It didn't hurt her to make these mental notes anymore. There was no sadness behind her inner voice. She had known this since she was a child: that she did not belong in this place. She was different from the others. How, she did not know besides from obvious things, but she had always felt distant. As if she were walking in a place where she truly was an outsider. Like she was a visitor in a foreign country.

The sting had ebbed away, leaving her feeling as if she were looking through a window at her world that she was supposedly a member of, but all the time knew that she was supposed to be somewhere else.

Rin stopped as she looked at the blooms of a red flower outside of her home. _'This. . .' _She touched the whisper-soft petals of the flowers delicately. Her eyes were void of emotion, she suddenly felt like an empty shell as her fingertips brushed against the plant. _'This is real. . .' _

Something jolted inside her mind, but still, she acted as if she were a zombie, playing with the red flowers in her hands, being careful not to break the stems. _'Real? But aren't I. . .Aren't I real too?' _

Rin pulled her hand back, lost in the depths of the brilliant red of the flowers. They seemed to glow with life.

_'I am not real like they are real.' _

Rin pulled herself away from the deep void she had been lost in, confused and startled at her strange thoughts. _'What-what was that? What did I mean by that? I'm real. . .I'm real.' _

Rin sped from her place up the steps as fast as she could, trying to get away from the flowers that had glowed so brightly under her intense gaze. _'What happened back there?' _Rin stumbled and fell hard down on the stone steps, breathing heavily. Her hair was messed up from the wild race and the sudden stop, and her eyes were wide in shock. Cold sweat ran down her, and her breaths were erratic.

Rin tried to calm herself, her nerves were jumpy, her hands clammy as she fiddled with them in her lap. "Calm down." She told herself sternly, standing on shaking legs.

_'Why am I acting so stupid over a few careless thoughts?' _

Rin combed back her hair and took several deep breaths to calm herself. "Stupid." She growled at herself before she walked the rest of the way up her steps.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid."

Rin continued to verbally abuse herself until she reached the front door to her house. Plastering another fake smile on, she opened the door after unlocking it with her key and waltzed in, ready to be greeted by whomever was home at the time.

"I'm home!" She called loudly. Her voice echoed ominously throughout the house. Rin licked her lips thoughtfully, biting on her lower lip in worried thought.

_'No one's home?' _

But that was impossible. There was always at least one person occupying her home at all times. If not her mother or grandfather, than her younger brother, Souta, would be there. It was inconceivable that they not be present. Not a one of them.

"Souta? Mom?" She called tentatively, starting to get nervous. "Grandpa?"

There was no reply to her calls, and Rin investigated every room, her fear mounting every time she came to a corner that she would have to turn.

Her chest drew in tightly, squeezing her lungs that were already not drawing enough air.

There was a scuttling noise from behind her as she entered the living room, and she turned swiftly, hair whipping around as fast as she was. "Hello?" She called, eyes darting back and forth. Something white moved to her right, and she turned toward it, but again found nothing. "Mom?" She called, body and eyes frozen.

There was another strange noise, like someone chuckling, and Rin tore from the room, dashing toward the old shrine next door. Her body pumped with adrenaline, her hair was loose again, and so were all her muscles as another cold sweat broke out on her.

"Grandpa?!" It was almost a screech as she dove out of the side door, stumbling slightly as she dashed across the stone ground toward the wooden shrine doors. _'He'll be there. I'm just acting stupid. He'll be in there and everything will be ok.' _

Rin's heart raced faster, if that was at all possible, when she heard the soft tread of feet on the gritty stones behind her. A small, amused chuckle reached her ears as she continued to run. She was almost to the door. She knew that if she just laid her hand on the door handle, the mysterious figure would disperse back into her mind, where she was certain he had come from. This couldn't possibly happened. It had to be another one of her wild flights of fancy. One that she couldn't get herself back out of. Small tears welled up in her eyes as she heard the chuckle grow deeper in its amusement. _'Please, please let this just be a dream.' _She begged, bowing her head as she used the last of her energy to charge up the few steps to the shrine.

She gasped for breath as she touched the handle and threw the door wide open, light bursting in on the damp old shrine. She ran inside after a brief pause to investigate the inside.

There was nothing.

The old shrine was completely empty. There was no incense, no offerings, and no old shrine keeper. Her grandfather was not here. No one was here.

"You expected them to save you, even if they were here?"

A voice behind her rumbled with amusement as she whipped around to face the speaker. She could tell from the voice that it was a male that stood, blotting out the light from the doorway behind her. Yet still she hoped that she would find no one, though she could see his shadow and hear his voice. Why was he amused? Did he find pleasure in her pain for some sick, twisted reason? Was he somehow responsible, and if so, why her? Why her family? What would Kagome do when she found out? Frantic thoughts ran through her mind, but none of them seemed to register as she swung toward him, her brown hair sweeping against her shoulders softly.

He stood clothed in a strange pelt. That was long, shaggy and pure white. Not one hair seemed misplaced; not a speck of dirt or grime tinged it, or left it looking rumpled. It was utterly perfect. Rin decided on the spot that it would make a very nice pillow, though she had no idea where the strange thought had come from, and why, out of all the thoughts that had been in her mind, that this one stuck out so well.

But the spotless white pelt was not the strangest part; indeed, there was something else that stood out against even the brilliance of the untouched fur. A strange face was leering at her, half-shrouded by the fur, but still it peeked out. It was the face of a baboon, light blue, and with the bottom jaw missing, leaving the sharp teeth of the upper jaw exposed to gleam in the faint light. The face of the baboon was wrinkled, and the empty eye sockets seemed to pierce through her, mocking her snidely.

Rin could sense the smirk on the lips of the man that hid in the pelt, though she could not see it, and his amused laughter seemed to echo in her head, though she was sure that he was not laughing and had not laughed at all.

The man moved slightly after his comment, something sinisterly red flashed in the empty sockets of the baboon face. Rin inwardly checked herself as she wondered if those were his eyes that she had seen. But no one had red eyes. . .

His question and laughter were still ringing in her mind moments after she decided to speak up, cold sweat breaking out on her again as her brown eyes wavered in anger and confusion. This strange man outraged her. How dare he enter this shrine with such strange and silly garbs! How dare he chuckle in her mind and demand to know her inner worries? How DARE he make even the slightest hint as to what had happened to her suddenly dispersed family?

Rin stood rigidly, her heart giving wild palpitations as she heaved for breath before speaking. Her palms were clammy from the cold sweat that had engulfed her entire form, and her long hair lay limply on her shoulders. Her face was pale and breath was so erratic she was sure that the raw, sucking winds running in and out would make her poor throat raw.

"Save me?"

She knew it was a stupid question. Of all the ones that were in her mind, the only thing she could muster was 'save me'. She hit herself in the back of the head mentally for not asking a better question of the strange man.

He chuckled darkly, ignoring her question to withdraw one of the red flowers from her flowerpots outside. She watched it with slight fascination, her eyes locked on the strange red thing that had caused her so much stress not but a few moments before. He twirled it, the green of the stem, and the red of the petals mixing in places where they touched in the whirlwind of color. He stopped, chuckling again at her fascination, though his strange mask had turned to the flower in his hand as well in apparent interest. "Nothing in _this _world can save you girl. Nothing."

Rin froze, her eyes still locked on the red flower in his hand. Nothing in **_this _**world? What did that mean? Nothing in this world. . .another. . .another world perhaps?

Her mind suddenly wandered, contemplating the meaning of his words idly as she continued to be captivated by the flower that was pressed between his thumb and forefinger. Her mouth was open slightly again, her eyes avidly watching every move the flower made.

The man chuckled again and abruptly stopped the spinning flower, releasing the girl immediately from the weird kind of hypnosis he had spelled her with. He was amused by his simple power over the girl that he held. Another chuckle came forth before he decided to cut his game with the girl.

But as soon as he had released the girl from the mild spell, she had immediately starting spouting questions and giving loud orders. Though she still appeared fearful of him, she still shot her mouth off as if she knew him extremely well.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my family's shrine? Get out!! Where is my family? You weirdo!! Get out you white pelted freak! Get out!!!" Raw anger flared inside of her, her eyes sparking some madness as she spit like a riled up wild cat. If she had had any fur to speak of, he was sure it would be standing on end with her ferocity.

He smirked wider behind the mask, chuckling to himself the whole time that she had been yelling. The noise and volume of the laugh soon grew, hushing the girl to silence. His laughter was deep and by the time she had been fully quieted, his laughter was insane. His aura pulsed around him, darkening and lifting a wind and a dark miasma with it. Rin's fear overrode her anger again and rational sense told her to get out. Every pore was screaming for her to run. But her mind was still in control, despite it all. And, like a deer in the headlights, she knew that there was no way to run, for her assailant was already too close for her to go very far.

The man's pelt rippled more and more of the miasma poured forth, daring to suffocate her. The miasma never came near her, but stayed fanning around the strange man that was laughing hysterically at her. His mad laughter rang sharply in her ears and she slowly got to her feet, staring at him with frightened eyes.

He calmed himself long enough to speak to her in a loud voice that growled at her guts to yell at him. "Fool. You dare order me? There is nothing - no one who can save you girl. No one." He cackled again, and the miasma radiated suddenly a purple light, like thunder in storm clouds.

Fear clutched at her heart. She didn't understand a word of what he said. What was this strange man doing to her? Rin closed her eyes, clenching her fists at her sides as she curled inward on herself. Her soul shrank away from the loud noises, from the fear, from everything. She just wanted to get away from him, anywhere, as long as she didn't have to stay here and listen to this strange man. _'Who will save me?' _A voice spoke up in her head, but Rin knew that no such thought had come to mind yet. It was as if someone else had whispered it into her ear.

She opened her eyes again and saw that the man had calmed, and that the miasma was dispersing. She could sense his evil almost and her heart pounded. "What do you mean 'no on can save you'?" She demanded, though her tone was more fearful than she would have liked. "What would they save me from?"

There was another dark chuckle from within the folds of the cloak, and red eyes glinted behind the mask as he raised his head. "Why, from yourself of course." He replied simply, though there was malice dripping in his tone.

Rin blinked at his words and gasped as she noticed that the whole world around her was suddenly in black and white, devoid of colors and sounds. There was no sound but from her and the man that remained in the doorway of the shrine. And only they two were in color in her vision. He again took delight in her shock and pain and chuckled as she investigated her hands and the area behind her to see if the strange phenomenon was taking place there too. "This isn't happening." Rin proclaimed in a shaky voice as she raised her hands to her face. "You – you're miasma stuff did this!"

"Ah, but you breathed none of it." He reminded her with dark amusement. "You see this only because you do not belong." The red eyes flashed again as Rin looked at him sharply.

**_'I am not real.' _**

"Liar." She proclaimed, checking herself so that her face gave away none of her inner thoughts.

**_'I do not belong.' _**

"You know yourself that it is no lie. You have never fit in, have you?" His voice became sultry and soothing, seeking her deepest fears and most hidden secrets. "You always wanted to see things that others thought were 'silly' and 'childish'. You were always somehow 'different' than the others. You had strange times when you would just sit alone in a room for hours and think about something so deep that you could not explain it in words to your own mother later on."

Rin shivered slightly as she realized that he somehow knew all about her. This frightened her more than anything did. More than even the thought of her entire family dying, though she hated to admit it. Someone peering into her mind, criticizing her inner thoughts, watching her every inner struggle and delighting in it. Someone taking her dreams from her. **That **was what scared her most. More than thunder, more death, even more than the man before her. The thought of loosing her beloved dreams was too much.

"My words strike truth." He observed. "Come girl, you need not fear me. I will take you to a place where you will always belong. Come." He beckoned to her, and Rin felt as if she were once more in a trance.

To belong. Oh, how wonderful that would feel. To finally belong.

Alright, so, I feel like being evil and stopping it there. Sorry guys. **evil grin **

For Those Of You That Keep Up On My Music-Fic Relations:: I wrote this while listening to Don McLean's _'Flight of Dragons' _and Cold's _'Don't Belong'_. Now, The song from Cold is from their CD entitled **_Year of the Spider_**. (Which, on a side-note, is quite good if you like rock music) However, I, unfortunately am not aware of _'Flight of Dragons' _being on any of Don McLean's records. **sigh **I really would like a copy of this song for my own listening pleasure, so if any of you out there know where I can find it, please let me know.

For Those Of You That Keep Up With My Movie-Fic Relations:: I wrote this while watching such movies as **_The_** **_Flight of Dragons_**, based upon a book under the same title by Peter Dickinson, and features the song _'Flight of Dragons _by Don McLean. It's a wonderful movie but is only available on VHS as far as I know and features the voice of John Ritter as Peter, and James Earl Jones as Ommadon. I will be using excerpts from this movie later on.

The other that this mainly pulls from is **_Labyrinth_**. David Bowie stars as the Goblin King under the direction of Jim Henson, lord of the Muppets. This also, will have more excerpts and whatnot coming later on.

Alright, now that I have that over with, I would like to mention that there are others movies and songs that I will be using in this fic, and I will be sure to inform you all of what I am using in my fics. Well, that is mainly for the benefit of those of you that have a large video/music collection that you can relate to this with. **sweatdrop **But I would like to encourage you guys to watch these movies and listen to these songs if you can get your hands on them. It makes it so much easier to get a good feel of a story.

Ah, yes, well, I could go on for ages. But – I will be kind and cut myself off here.

I thank those of you who have made it this far. And will be even happier if you review. **sunny smile **

Ja'ne!

Review please!!!


	2. Chapter Two

**_Lost World_**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Two - Transported_

* * *

"There was a time, between the waning age of enchantment and the dawning age of logic that dragons flew the skies, free and unencumbered." Carolinus the Green Wizard, **_The Flight of Dragons_**

"Look down there Gorbash, my friend. On that troubled earth below us, confusion and chaos reign. All mankind is facing an epic choice: A world of magic or a world of science; which will it be?" Carolinus the Green Wizard to Gorbash the Dragon, **_The Flight of Dragons_**

* * *

****

Her mind reached out and latched onto that hope. He had said she could belong. Oh, how she had longed to belong! And he would take her there. To this place where she would belong. Her heart raced at just the idea. It would be so wonderful. . .so wonderful to finally belong. . .

She felt tired, as if some chloroform had been pressed to her mouth and nose. Her head felt heavy suddenly and her muscles gave way under her sudden weight. Thick and deep sleep tugged at her mind as some part of her fought to stay awake as the dark man before her chuckled ever so lowly, his miasma floating out.

Colors had started to seep back into her world, but it worked in strange spasms, jolts of color sporadically appearing in areas at a time. It hurt her eyes, and made her want to close them more, but still, something inside of her was fighting to stay awake.

But the side that desired rest, desired to leave this plane and go to this place that the man offered to take her to was winning. Sleep pulled her eyes closed. They had grown as leaden as rocks, and she was inwardly aware that fighting the urge to shut them was futile. Slowly, her world started to fade to blackness.

Though, while her lashes were not yet closed over her eyes completely, she had looked to the white pelted man, who was still chuckling at her apparent weakness._'To belong. . .that is. . .my greatest desire. . .'_

Suddenly, something burned in the back of her mind, enraged and snarling at her like a wild animal. The sound of a roaring wildcat filled her ears and her eyes instantly popped open in shock.

**_'No!!' _**

She was not sure if she had truly said the word or if it had only been in her mind, so it seemed to echo around her as if her mind itself were screaming in denial. Rage overcame the power in the back of her mind, and it pushed back her other thoughts of belonging and of sleeping and going away. An old memory flooded her mind, the wildcat continuing to rage at her for being so weak.

_A small child was clutching her mother's apron tightly she beamed up at the older woman with genuine love and excitement. Her cute little lips parted to speak, and Rin could almost sense the joy flowing from the child that was once herself.** "Mommy, I want to see youkai."**_

Rin's hands came to her mouth and she gasped as she saw that the miasma had closed in around her. She choked on the poisoned air; her vision once again distorted though she felt renewed from the shock wave of power that had hit her.

A growl emitted from in front of her and she knew that it had to be the white pelted man. "Stupid girl, you make the biggest mistake of your existence." He sounded extremely angered at her, and Rin became instantly terrified.

Looking around frantically, she felt the cold sweat start to form on her body again as the panic inside of her rebounded. Her hair whipped in a wide ark and her fatigued body and mind faltered at her wildly swinging head. Stilling herself, Rin peered through the miasma and spied the open door. She was free! He had moved – to Kami-sama knows where – but she was free to run!

Hope banished her fear as it suddenly gleamed brightly, a laugh rising in her throat, though it did not escape. Her muscles in her legs were suddenly springy and lively again and she tore toward the door, her feet barely touching the ground. As if she had wings, she soared toward the opening like a caged bird, a look of relieved glee on her face.

Her heart immediately sunk again as he stepped in her way before she had even crossed halfway across the threshold to the open door. Her freedom was dashed to pieces before her. Once again she felt like the little caged bird as the miasma pressed in around her.

"What do you want with me?!" She felt the words spill from her mouth as her mind shrieked in terror. "Why are you doing this to me?!"

He laughed at her, his aura seeming to rise up around him, making him appear larger than he actually was. He did not answer her, but simply continued to laugh.

Rin clenched her sweaty palms; her muscles giving off little spasms as the fatigue finally hit her body. She had been exerting so much anxiety-filled energy that she had not paid attention to the damage it would do to her body. Inwardly she cursed herself for not thinking about the consequences of wasting such energy that she would need to get past this deranged man. "Tell me what you did to my family you creep!!"

He laughed louder before he calmed himself enough to speak, though his voice was still sultry as he cooed to her. "I did nothing to them, their disappearance is all your doing." He replied with a voice of silk.

Rin glared at him, though her heart sank. "And how did I do that?" She demanded angrily, though her tone gave away the shaky fear that was suppressed inside of her.

"You were the one who wanted to get away, no? Or don't you remember thinking that?" He asked smoothly. **_"I want to get away from here. I want it all to disappear. I want to go somewhere else, somewhere far, far away where I'll never have to see any of them again."_**

Rin panicked as she noticed that he had quoted something that had run through her mind not but a day before. Her mouth opened, but for a short time, only a few tiny breaths came in and out as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her face. "You. . .you. . ."

"That's right." He chuckled darkly. "You are the reason they have disappeared. Words are very powerful at times." He laughed at her horrified expression. "Now, let us go to that which you have wished for." He stretched out a welcoming hand towards her, and she awkwardly moved her own toward him before she snapped back to her senses and snatched her hand away again.

**_"Mommy, I want to see youkai."_**

"No." She said firmly, glaring at him. "Bring back my family. I will not go."

His red eyes narrowed behind his mask as she clenched her sweaty palm to her chest as if half-afraid he might try to snatch it from her and drag her away without her consent.

"You have no choice. The portal has already opened." He informed her with a sadistic sneer. "You have already been sucked into a tiny alternate dimension. This little replication of a world that you keep yourself in will soon destroy itself. And you will be sucked through the portal and be dropped into some strange place that may be dangerous. Come with me, and you will be assured safety."

His hand came out to her from under the white pelt again, almost pleading for her to grasp hold on it. As his words spilled out, Rin had felt a kind of tugging on her entire being, and the creak of wood had been heard as the miasma was sucked out of the room through the single door behind him. There was the sound of the winds picking up, and Rin's hair blew about her startled face. What was she to do?

She stared at the offered hand in confusion. Would he really take her somewhere safe? What if she was just dreaming? None of this could be real. Soon, she would fall out of bed, or the teacher would wake her with a sharp rap to the board, wouldn't he? She squirmed, still indecisive despite the imbalance around her.

His hand moved a little more towards her, pressing her to make a decision. Rin squirmed again, trying to get away from him. Determined, she glared up at him. "I will go nowhere with you." She proclaimed triumphantly.

He snarled, whipping the hand back into the folds of his robe. Growling loudly, his aura grew again until he was as large as the room, looking down on her small form. "Fool, you make the biggest mistake of your soon to end existence." He informed her in a threatening tone. "Enjoy what time you have left."

He cackled loudly as a dark void opened up behind him and began to swallow him up. Still, as he disappeared before her very eyes into his own cloud of miasma, his voice echoed out at her over the roar of the splintering wood. "Can you not feel the world turning in my direction already?"

And indeed the world beneath her seemed to be reeling into chaos. It shook and closed in on itself, her hair swept upward with the clouds of dust. Still, there was one part of the room that seemed to be untouched and set apart from the rest of it. Back in the dingy corner of the room, half-hidden in the darkness, was a dry old well. Something told her she would be safe there, if only she could reach the well in time.

Taking a moment to briefly look to either side of her, she saw that there was little time to make any true decision on the matter and used what little of her strength she had left to jolt herself in the direction of the old well. As she reached the edge, there was the sound like a large, old tree cracking on its base. The whine of wood as it falls, and the swish of leaves coming with it, echoed out behind her and before she could turn to see what had happened, she had jumped over the rim of the well in terror._'Oh, Kami-sama. . .please let me be safe. . .' _

* * *

A tall, silver haired man suddenly stopped on his track through the deep wilderness of his father's lands, a new scent wafting across his senses. One he had never smelt before. A new aura as well creeped in on the back of his mind, making him aware of a sudden, strong presence. But the strange thing was, this did not smell at all like his kindred. And the aura was so pure. . .

Startled, he frowned and swung in the direction that the scent was coming from. It would not due for an intruder to come and he not investigate.

Swiftly, he darted thorough the large forests, the lands that had been passed down from generation to generation to his family. At present, they belonged to his father, but someday, they would be his. Proudly, he noted how well kept they were, and knew that he too would have them remain that way for as long as he reigned as well. It was too beautiful to destroy by negligence.

He knew this track too well, for he patrolled his sect of it more than he did the other sects that were under his jurisdiction. He had no idea why, but this area drew his attention more than the others did. Though they were all equally beautiful, this one was the farthest from the hustle and bustle of his father's courts, and was the one that he could find the most privacy in. But he often used the excuse that this one was the largest area – which it was – and that it deserved more patrol than the others did. Also, there were more places to hide under the thick foliage, and so many confusing scents, that if someone were not accustomed to them, they might not distinguish an intruders scent from the scents of the many flowers, plants, and streams.

Now, as he got closer to the place he was destined, and the place that the scent still came from, unmoved, he hopped up into the tree boughs, and jumped from bough to bough skillfully and silently. Barely a leaf moved, despite his speed. Smirking, his golden eyes glinted as he recognized the scent of a female, though still the other half of the scent was partially foreign to him. He had smelled it long ago, he knew it was familiar, yet he could not place his claw on what was so familiar _about _it.

A growl formed in the back of his throat as it finally dawned on him what he was sensing. How could he have possibly over looked that for so long? It was so blatantly obvious, after all!

A human female.

* * *

Well, well, new chapters, and I hope you all enjoy. To make up for my last Rin/Sess story, I am having them meet early, though I always intended them to meet early in this fic anyway. I hope you all enjoy so far. So, yes, third chapter brings them together for the first time.

Well, well, Happy Holidays to everyone and I hope that you all enjoy yourselves. My next update is unpredictable, but I hope that you do stay tuned, because I will be trying to update ASAP.

Thank you for your reviews, I'm glad that I'm doing a good job so far. I'll see you all soon enough, ja'ne.

Review Please.


	3. Chapter Three

**_Lost World_**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Three – Awakening_

It was not a groggy, sleep-filled mind that greeted her when she came back into awareness, instead, she felt as if she had been awake the whole time, vibrant and alive, only with her eyes closed. She did not immediately open her eyes, for fear of loosing the wonderful feeling of floating on water or air if she did. Savoring the moment, she let her other senses wander idly as she left herself to drift somewhere between dream and reality.

The smell of wet and foliage was rampant, and she was aware of a strong, but not unbearable humidity in the air. The rustle of branches in a slight wind calmed her further, soothing her and making her feel like she wanted to remain this way forever, yet something inside knew she could not.

What greeted her, she was aware, was different than anything around or even remotely _near_ her home. So it was safe to say she was somewhere foreign to her. Maybe not another country, but definitely not somewhere she was familiar with, or she might be able to visualize it, but she found that she lacked any kind of memory of even a television show that could compare with what she was sure lied beyond her closed lids.

Deciding it was best to break the peaceful moment and find out where she was, Rin opened her eyes. They didn't blur with sleep, but they did haze as sharp, warm sunlight fell on them. Rubbing at them with balled up fists, she rolled to one side and lifted herself up on her arm.

She gasped in surprise. The ground beneath her was spongy and soft, like a bed, but was made of moss. Patches where the sun hit were extremely warm, though none of the places were curled. Where her body had snuggled up moments before there was an indent that quickly refilled itself when she vacated.

She was in a small, almost round-shaped clearing. The moss rolled and appeared bumpy, like waves of green all around her. Plants were nestled tightly all around, as if as a barricade, and above the sung was blocked out by the branches of tall trees. The patches of sunlight that did fall down on the moss came from spaces in-between the interwoven leaves and branches.

The trees were tall and mighty, their barks looked soft and at the same time hard and foreboding. Everything there was different. None of the plants were familiar, and hardly any of them contained color.

What got her the most though, was the utter still and silence. Bugs did not buzz by, leaves did not stir in breeze, and not even the chattering of animals was heard. The natural sounds of a forest were missing, dead silent as if in anticipation of something.

Suddenly, a noise broke in, making a cold feeling sweep through her, shock lit up and her mind and she swirled around as swiftly as she could to see who had cracked a stick under the heel of their foot.

Her eyes settled on the most beautiful creature she had ever seen on two legs before. His hair was long and went down to his knees; it looked silky and was silver though it appeared light blue in the half-shade he was standing in. On either of his cheeks were two purple stripes, and the part in his bangs showed a purple crescent moon mark on his forehead. He was regarding her with a blank face; his amber eyes half-lidded as if he cared naught for her.

His attire though, threw her. It baffled and amazed her at the same time. She knew it to Japanese, and was immediately relieved that she was not in some unknown land, but that she was indeed somewhere close to home. But still, the clothing was so old in origin, she was sure that it must have been at least from the Feudal Era.

But what was the most surprising for Rin as she peered at him, was that he looked almost exactly like a drawing she had done of a character that she had left unnamed so far. She had only just created him the night before she had been put into that weird situation with that masked man. Now if only he had the pointed ea-

There, his hair moved to one side as he came fully into the clearing and Rin spied that his ears were pointed. Her eyes widened a touch, and she felt suddenly as if she might faint from the shock. Her drawing was moving! He was three-dimensional and moving!

This survey of his features and attire took no more than a moment, and by the time her thought pattern had finished, the man had cleared the small brush that stood between him and the open clearing, and now stood mid-way into the circle. He looked down at her for a moment, one slender silver eyebrow arched in inquiry. "Ningen," And here she blinked, realizing with a hint of annoyance that he was attempting to speak with her. "What do you do trespassing on these lands?"

_'Her scent is foreign.'_ He noted to himself as he sniffed at the air delicately.

Rin was taken aback. Not only was he speaking Japanese, but also it was a very old form. Not even her grandfather had used all those words and formalities that he had indicated just by his tone and way of speaking. She had hardly recognized her own language!

"W-what? Uhm, well, I – well, that is to say, er. . ." She was flustered, not sure where to begin in her explanation of why she was here, for she was not even sure herself _how_ she had gotten here.

Her head was reeling too, her vision blurring sometimes, or coming out as a sort of double-vision that left her feeling dizzy and incomplete. Her head felt heavy and she had to concentrate hard to make herself focus on the conversation and man before her.

Rin thought that maybe the results of this stemmed from the fact that the man before her bore such a likeness to the sketches she had made, to the stories and descriptions she had created out of her own imagination. Or so she had thought at the time. Maybe it wasn't her imagination that she had created him from in the first place, maybe none of her stories and characters had. . .could it be that she knew about this place the entire time, and yet was not aware of it? Her mind reeled again, making her check herself before she fell to one side. Steadying herself, she forced her mind to concentrate on talking and explaining rather than wondering about the pain and the strange likeness of her drawings and inner sanctuary tot his man and the forest around them.

Thinking that he had frightened the human senseless, Sesshoumaru sniffed at the air again, trying to trace what little he could from her. But still he found nothing familiar in her scent except the 'female' and 'human' parts. He frowned, furrowing his brow slightly in confused irritation.

The woman-child was still babbling on, but soon fell silent as she saw that he had become what she thought was disgruntled. In a last bid effort to straighten things out, her hand suddenly shot forward, extended toward him in a manner of greeting.

"I, uhm, I'm Rin Higurashi."

It was a very Western way of introducing one's self – to shake hands – she was aware, but it was the first thing that had struck her, and so had moved without checking herself on whether this strange male would understand her or not. Blushing in embarrassment, she hid her eyes from him, mumbling her greeting. She had always been relatively shy around new people, thinking that she would come off as rude or annoying if she said something stupid and had so kept her mouth shut. She would eventually warm up, once she got to know them better, but this was always her initial reaction to anyone of either sex or any age that approached her.

Sesshoumaru stared at the proffered hand, taken aback by her sudden flourish of movement, and puzzled by what this meant. She sat incredibly still on her knees, face red, head bent, other hand clasped tightly in her lap, the knuckles showing white. His eyes moved to the line of her jaw and shoulders – just as he thought, rigid and tight, the muscles taught with anxiety.

The sudden change in her made him look her over for a bit, and when he found nothing suspicious in her nature, inquiringly glanced at the hand again, still extended ram-rod straight at him, waiting for something.

The thought suddenly struck him that she must want him to place his hand in hers, though he did not trust this notion at all. He had come into contact with very few humans, and none before had relinquished their hand toward him, waiting for his strong grasp. Never.

Though this did seem to be what she was waiting for. . .

Carefully, his own hand came up, revealing his dangerous claws, and the two purple stripes on his wrist. To his surprise, the human did not even start in shock, or make an uneasy move as she spotted them. Not even a hint of fear laced through her scent, she seemed completely at ease with the fact that he bore such powerful weapons. Maybe she had not seen. . . ?

Instead, her hand came up as his got close, and slowly, she grasped his. Still flushing in her apparent anxiety, she rapidly shook his arm, making him think that it might be jarred right off if she continued with this much fervor for very long.

As she shook his hand, she had babbled some more about how 'nice it is to meet you.'

Sesshoumaru stared at her, finally pulling his hand away from her, cracking his shoulder thoughtfully as he watched her. When he pulled away though, Rin seemed to become more frantic than before, words spilling from her mouth as fast as thoughts entered her mind. "Oh, uhm, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I hope I didn't hurt your arm!"

Sesshoumaru made a face, his mind blanking as the human female again was prattling on and on, worrying herself over her own actions again.

Finally, irked by her continued babbling and worrying, he silenced her with a single commanding word, his tone icy. "Enough."

Rin fell into silence immediately.

"Now, can you calmly explain where it is that you have come from, human?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized her again.

She was a beauty for a human, auburn hair and matching, large brown eyes that glittered with her every emotion, though there was some darkness to them too, as if she were somehow lost within herself at all times. Her hair went just past her shoulder and hung loose, showing the natural curve in it. A small amount of it was gathered into a small pigtail-like fashion, held in place by a single yellow hair band. She looked carefree and innocent on the surface, but if one looked closer, they could see the world's troubles reflected in her wide, childish eyes. Sesshoumaru discovered that this girl was distinct among the other humans he had come across – which were few in number seeing as they had all but been banned from this land thousands of ages before. Distinct in simply the fact that she looked at everything in a much clearer and deeper view than they did. She took nothing at face value.

He could respect that, but he felt himself immediately curious about the human that bore such qualities at such a young age, and a female at that!

Her countenance was unusually bright and cheerful too, for a youth, and, even though she was not smiling at the moment, he could see the glimmer in her eyes that told him that she would laugh at anything. Yes, she was quite pretty, though he would not admit that openly or even privately to himself at the moment. At first, he did not even realize that the thought had crossed his mind, it being such a foreign notion to him, it had escaped him completely, even in his own mind.

At his question though, her expression had faltered and fallen, driving her into deep thought, her pupils seeming to lessen in size as she shrank away inside herself to think. Frowning, he wondered if she were trying to hide something from him, and promptly grabbed her attention again, not allowing her to slip away and make up some excuse. "I asked a question, I expect it to be answered." Sesshoumaru said shortly, his tone still as icy as before.

Rin flinched, shaking her head as she tried to clear her mind, the feeling of slipping suddenly back into reality leaving her dizzy and groggy. And with the grogginess, the sharp pain in her head came again, this time stronger and more pronounced. She suppressed a hiss of pain; desperately wishing she had an aspirin on her at the moment. Momentarily forgetting whom she was holding company with, she blinked, furrowing her brow in both pain and confusion. "Eh, what?"

Sesshoumaru became disgruntled with her, though his expression had not yet changed.

"Where do you hail from, human?"

Rin looked up at him suddenly with wide eyes, her lips drawn into a thin line. She became frightfully anxious again and Sesshoumaru inwardly growled. "I. . .I come from far away. . ."

Rin had been told since she was very small to never reveal the whereabouts of her home to a stranger, even to someone who seemed like they were nice. She was sure that the rule no longer applied, seeing as the place she was now in was nowhere she had ever seen or heard of in either textbook or in conversations. Though some child-like part of her - the memory of her mother's warning words engraved into her entire body - wanted to listen and not repeat the truth. And her lips had worked upon that nurtured instinct before she could even think twice about it.

Still, he could tell.

"Tell all," He ordered, agitated by her dodge-y and anxious behavior. "Vague descriptions will get you nowhere, human."

"I can't tell." The words slipped from her mouth the moment they popped into her head, she had not even checked herself on whether the sentence made any sense or not, it had been an impulse and she instantly regretted saying it.

For some reason, every time she spoke, she was sure she was babbling like an idiot. That was how she had felt at home too, when she felt that she was getting too hyper and open around people. At that point, she would close herself off, melt back into herself and let her words be more thought out and careful, though every sentence was painful and she was further and further aware of how silly she must look. She often had envied the other children for being able to say whatever they wanted without regretting it and saying anything that made them look stupid and weird; Rin felt like that's all she did when she opened her mouth, and thus closed herself off. **_'I don't belong.'_** Something spoke in the back of her mind, a nagging voice that was always there, though at times she was able to suppress it with her times of joy and by busying herself so that she did not have to think about it.

Sesshoumaru's eyebrows raised at her, stunned at her for defying his order. Very few did that and lived; his half-blood brother, Inuyasha, was the only one who did it on a regular basis and still had his life.

There was a strange kind of desperation in her eyes, something that made him stop and stare for a moment. She was begging for him to ask no more of her home, hoping against hope that he would say no more on the subject.

He had very rarely witnessed the changing of human emotions, which occurred at such a rapid pace, and were so different than youkai emotions. They never truly could keep themselves in check, like his race could; their faces lit up with their every thought, and expressions and scents changed so fast that he found during their conversation that he was getting foggy-minded and dizzy. It was just so different, such a new thing to him that for a moment, he found himself entranced by the deep pools of her eyes, and the ever-changing movements of her features.

Inwardly shaking himself, he pulled away from the trance and felt his gaze hardening on her again. A threatening growl found it's way to his throat, though the human's ears could not hear the low vibrations. His teeth bared in a snarl behind his lips and he felt a small form of rage hit him as his frustrations grew. He stopped his youkai rage as it tried to leap forward from the recesses of his mind. This was no time to lose his head, especially over such a miniscule thing.

"Why can you not tell me of your homeland?" He ground out, trying not to bark outright at her.

Her slim fingers fiddled with each other in her lap in a nervous manner. Delving backward, she recalled how her grandfather had once told her about etiquette and such back in the days of medieval Japan. Thinking that if this nameless man was going to keep on talking as he was, she could at least make an effort to match him since he was making no effort to come down to a level she could understand easily. It took her so much time between each word to figure out what he was talking about that she was starting to get bored, as she had in History Class just the day before. . .Had it really been a day, or more than that? . . .Less. . . ?

The heavy-headed feeling suddenly hit Rin as she thought too deeply of her past once again, this time affecting her stomach as well. She felt as if she had been slammed over the head with something and was suffering some sort of concussion from it, though she was sure she had not hit her head at all, for no part of it throbbed in the way that a busted noggin would have. Her bones ached along with it, and her stomach lurched with the suddenly need to throw up.

She reeled, her vision blurring, black splotches appearing before her. A choked noise came from her throat before she collapsed to one side, eyes pressed closed.

Sesshoumaru stared for a moment, not sure what to make of this before the smell of pain hit him. How had he not noticed before? The human was somehow hurt, though he could not smell blood internally or externally. At any rate – she was passed out now and he had to do something!

Taking charge of the situation immediately, he scooped up the human into his arms, noticing that she was warm and soft, not even half as heavy as he had thought either. He sniffed thoughtfully, a new scent reaching him now that she was close. It smelled vaguely of cherry blossoms.

Waves of pain brought him from his thoughts, the child stirring uneasily in his grasp. Giving a withdrawn sigh, he hoped that no one saw him as he left the enclosed forest area, the human held tightly in his arms.

* * *

As per request, the chapter has been lengthened, though I hate to leave it where poor Rin-chan is knocked cold again. **sigh**

You guys should know from my other stories though that I do not like to reveal secrets right away! **sweatdrop** I'm weird that way, I like the characters and the readers to discover things as they go; but I guess I could try and deviate from that path, hm?

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you all enjoy your time off now, as I assume most of you are out of school (or off work, whatever). Mmm, it was snowing earlier today but now it's all melting! **grumble**

Thank you all for you wonderful reviews, I truly appreciate your support of this story. I'd like to thank especially Tamashi-no-Hikari for always telling me as it is and making sure I stay in top form. Thank you, danke, arigatou!!! **bow bow**


	4. Chapter Four

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Four – Strange_

"A human girl. Oh, a human. What's a human doing here? Lord Sesshoumaru brought it back from the Enchanted Wood. What was it doing out there?"

Soft, whispered voices spoke above and all around Rin as her mind slowly started to come back into awareness. It felt leaden, as if she had been knocked unconscious instead of just plain falling asleep. Her muscles would respond to no orders that she gave them; everything was dead weight, she could not even open her eyes more than a fraction of an inch, and her eyelashes blocked most of her view.

Idle thoughts skimmed through her head, none of them really hitting home yet. _'Where am I? Who's that talking? Can't they see I'm trying to rest here? Oh well, might as well get up now. . .Hey, why won't my body move?'_ Groggily, she tried to open one of her eyes and found herself staring at a tatami mat flooring, and the bottom of several kimono's, the tips of their owner's feet sticking out from under them.

A gasp rippled through, and several of the feet moved, scurrying. "It's waking up. Quick! Someone tell Lord Inutaishou! The humans waking up!" They called, no longer trying to be discreet.

Rin twitched at the loud voices breaking in on her, her mind sharpened with the noises, but they sent a dull pain shooting through her skull every time they spoke. She wanted to speak, to tell them off for making her head hurt so much, but her tongue didn't move right, and her lips dully parted. "Uh. . ." Was all she managed to get out. She felt horrible and particularly stupid for the incoherent word that had just poured from her.

Her muscles came to life rapidly after that, and she slowly raised herself up on her arms shakily, trying to avoid getting a head-rush. But it came anyway, and she held herself in place for a moment, dizzy. Black and other colored splotches appeared before her eyes, and she felt herself narrowing her eyes as she tried to focus.

Looking up and around, she opened her mouth, forcing herself to think straight for a moment so she could get out an intelligent word or two. "Where am I?" She wondered aloud, sitting back on her knees and rubbing at her eyes with the heel of one hand. Her vision improved somewhat, but the splotches persisted for some time after still.

The people she had heard, and the few she had spotted the feet of seemed to have disappeared from sight, and not one of them had said anything to her. _'That's rude.'_ She thought to herself as she peered around. Of course, she corrected herself, she wasn't one to talk. She was the one who had passed out on that guy in the forest hadn't she. Wait, was she still in the forest?

The room was large, a little larger than her room back at her home, but was unfurnished. The Tatami mats were hard as a rock, and the futon pillow her head had been resting on had made her neck stiff. The blankets wrapped around her, though warmed from her body heat, were stiff and made her itch where it rubbed against bare skin.

Yes, the forest was definitely gone, but where was she now? The people from before had mentioned a 'Lord Sesshoumaru' finding her in the forest, hadn't they? And what were they going on about her being a 'human' and an 'it' as if she were some gross, disgusting being from beyond? Was the 'Lord Sesshoumaru' the person that she had met in the forest?

_'But I didn't name him that in my stories.'_ Rin thought, then mentally kicked herself. Of course she had not! She had not named the character sketch of that person at all. Nor had she filled in any statistics either. It was but an empty sheet with just a drawing. She had fallen asleep the night before at her desk and had not finished it. She had been eagerly anticipating finishing it the following day but then she got sucked into _this_ place.

She shivered at the eerie thought that maybe she wasn't _supposed_ to finish it.

Wobbling, she tried to take a few steps forward and stumbled. She caught herself before she was thrown off balance, and tried to walk again. The process did not repeat, but she was careful not to trod too heavily on her weak legs. Her head still swam and she briefly wondered why she felt so achy. She vaguely was aware that she was shaking and that she felt awfully fatigued for one who had just woken from a decent nap.

Looking at her hands skeptically, she noticed that they shook violently of their own accord. An empty, aching pain in her gut answered the question forming in her mind.

She was shaking because she had not eaten anything since lunch. But who knew how long ago that lunch had been. Days? Maybe only hours like it would have been back home. But from her body's reaction, she could tell that was untrue. Obviously some time had elapsed between her last meal and now to make her feel this way.

Rin recalled what she had read in a science fiction book about someone who had gotten tossed into other dimensions, though they had gone willingly and had used their own power. The strain on that person's body in the different time period had made them weak. Maybe it was the same with her. Could she possibly be having some kind of normal reaction to being displaced in time and space, if that was truly what was happening. _'What if I'm trapped in my own mind, and not some different world?'_

A shiver ran up her spine and she brushed the thoughts aside for now. The most important thing at the moment would be to get an explanation as to where she was and hopefully a meal as well.

Having finally reached the shouji door, she pressed on the frame lightly, testing its strength as she leaned against it, breathing deeper than she usually did. She felt so weak, her muscles and bones ached just from standing upright.

A small, exhausted sigh escaped her lips silently, making her shoulders sag. Carefully and slowly, she opened the door. It slipped silently back; now Rin knew why she had not heard the people that had been in her room leave. The doors around her home definitely weren't this silently stealthy.

Looking either way down the hall, she found that there was no one to be seen anywhere. Sucking in her breath for a moment, she waited, listening intently for any sound, even the whisper of fabric against fabric as some strode by, the dull sound of feet padding on the ground. Keeping quite still, she tried to see if she could feel the tremors of someone walking under her own feet. Which she had discovered she could do at times if the person had a heavy foot, and the floor was the kind that let pressure burst outward in rippling waves, like water.

Still, nothing.

Letting out the breath she had held, she stepped out. Though not for one moment did she let her guard down. For some reason she felt like she was escaping and the terror of the chase, the thrill of pursuit pumped through her blood suddenly, making her muscles suddenly thrive with what she identified as adrenaline, something that would soon be exhausted if she dared use it.

Tentatively, Rin opened her mouth, turning her head every which way possible as she stepped out and closed the shouji door back behind her. "Hello?" She called in a quiet tone. Then, more loudly: "Hello?"

There was no answer, nothing moved. There was nobody around. Had she imagined the mysterious voices? No, that was ridiculous, she had seen some of them, though it had only been from the waist down. Still, that was proof enough that she had not been hallucinating. . .

Sighing heavily, Rin turned down the hallway, plodding along, not minding who heard her footsteps. As she turned the corner at the far end though, the sound of feet coming down the opposite end, heading toward the opposite corner were heard. There were a few sets, meaning more than two people, but no more than five were walking down the wood-paneled floors. Rin turned in interest, though instinct screamed immediately and urged her to move as fast as she could. Reason kept her frozen in place though. The two were often in conflict inside of her. She usually listened to instinct over reason, since it seemed to know something that reason did not at all times, but reason came with curiosity as well this time around, so she kept still. Frozen tot he spot, she could only watch and listen.

However, when the figures were almost fully seen, she somehow found that she had slipped around the corner and now peered at them, pressed against the wall tightly in the shadows. She felt utterly childish when she realized that instinct had taken over and moved her. When she pondered the action further, reason informed her that instinct would not have moved her if it had thought she were safe being seen in the open.

The few brief seconds that this exchange occurred in brought the group of travelers around the corner. Rin found to her surprise that it was not five people coming around the corner, but simply three. The narrow halls must have made the sound of the footsteps reverberate off the walls and make a grander noise that had fooled her into believing that there were more people than there really were.

They look all the same. Silky black hair that fell no further than the shoulder's and was cut no shorter than the tips of the ears hung about their faces, obscuring her view of their faces. She could only see their profile's now, since when she had finally regained her senses after the inner debate, they had stopped and turned toward the shouji door she had come out of. Her heart sped up as she realized in a flash that _she_ was the one that they were going to be looking in on. And she was not there!

Her muscles filled with the power of adrenaline again as she awaited the cry of shock that she knew would come. She would not be realized from her frozen position, pressed against the wooden frame until she heard it, she knew that much. For even now her legs were rigid, not budging no matter how much she ordered them too. Suspense weighed heavily on her.

A gasp came from the leader of the three, sending a ripple of shock bursting outward. It hit Rin in a wave and she immediately detached herself from the wall. In the same split second a cry went up from the lead guard. "The human girl has escaped! Quick, follow her scent!" He cried in a strange tone of voice that Rin had never heard before. Despite her curiosity about the voice tone of the leader, she would not be caught and immediately whirled.

Turning down the expanse of hallway, everything was a blur. Her legs moved in a swift kick forward, but her momentum was abruptly stopped short as she collided with something.

It was soft, warm, almost inviting in a way, though solid too and firm. Without any thought to it, she registered that she had run into another person. "Ah, sorry." She said, lifting her eyes in apology as she prepared to dodge around the person she had hit.

Rin stopped dead, golden eyes holding her in place. The placid, stern look in his eyes fixed on her brown eyes, and she felt immobilized with shock. Silver bangs hung over his eyes, some of them dipped down in front of the golden orbs and mixed in, creating a stunning illusion of color.

It was the man from the forest!!

A small breath escaped from her lips as she narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. He made no sign that it bothered him at all as she tilted her head slightly to one side in her curiosity of what was before her.

Behind her, the footsteps approached so fast, that by the time she remembered her plight, it was too late to react. They had turned the corner. Fleeing now would only prove futile. Though her muscles did jump in surprise.

"There she is!" One of the guards cried out.

Rin's heart quickened, and her breath hitched in her throat, eyes widening in animalistic terror. Feeling like a deer caught in the headlights, all she could do was watch as they came closer and grabbed hold of her tightly.

She immediately moved, sharply twisting away from their grasping hands. Dancing to one side, she managed to dodge away from them, though the action left her feel exposed again. There was nowhere to run. The movement had only proved to infuriate them further. To her right stood the silver haired male, the one she had pictured so lovingly in her mind, and had sketched so perfectly on paper at her home. And to her left stood the guards, baring gleaming white teeth at her in frustration.

"Hold still, wench." On of them growled, darting forward and holding her still as the second came and clasped hold of her other shoulder.

Defiantly, Rin tossed her shoulders, glaring at them. They would not shake off though, and she felt something-sharp stab into her suddenly on either shoulder. Gasping, she looked sidelong to see long, pointed claws piercing through the top of her uniform into her arm slightly.

The leader turned toward the silver-haired male that was watching her intently the entire time, though his poker-faced expression betrayed none of his inner contemplation. Bowing low and humbly, the black-haired guard spoke: "I'm sorry for the interruption, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Rin looked to him sharply, narrowing her eyes in curious scrutiny again. So, he _was_ the Lord she had heard spoken of. Not that she had doubted it, but she had rather hoped he was not. _'Oh dear, I created a prince.'_

Sesshoumaru made no reply only continued to stare at Rin. The feeling of his eyes burrowing into her made her irritated. What was so interesting about her? She was no more a spectacle than he was, was she?

Now, turning toward his men, he motioned for them to follow. "Come on then, we've re-captured the human." He ordered loudly.

"Halt."

It was the first time she had heard that voice since that time in the forest. There was a note of command in it, and the entire vacinity seemed to still. The guards stopped, the two holding Rin looked up at him in silent, frightened question.

Rin looked at him in surprise.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama?" The guard asked nervously, thinking he had done something to offend to prestigious young Lord. If so, he knew that nothing short of death awaited him.

Sesshoumaru swept forward in precise motion, a regal air radiating off of him. Stepping up directly before the two guards holding Rin, he loomed over them in what would have been a threatening manner. The two guards instantly backed away, releasing Rin who stared up into Sesshoumaru's golden eyes in question.

She was not frightened, something that she herself was rather surprised at. She was sure she would be with the taller figure standing over her, casting his long, dark shadow over her menacingly, but she felt nothing but curiosity toward the man. She wondered continuously about how all of this had come to be.

He turned his eyes away from her after a moment and spoke to the guards in that cool, empty tone that she found he constantly used. "I will take over from here, Ojiro." He informed the black-haired head-guard.

Ojiro made a face and seemed to become nervous. "Ah, but, Sesshoumaru-sama, Lord Inutaishou ordered that the human be kept in confinement until-"

"Nothing was said about disobeying my father's order." Sesshoumaru interjected.

"But-" Ojiro started, but composed himself after a short pause and nodded, bowing. The two guards came behind him and bowed in unison after him. "Sorry to have bothered you, Lord Sesshoumaru." Ojiro stated before turning on his heel and going back down the hallway.

Rin watched as they disappeared around the corner. She could tell that Ojiro was still uncertain about letting Sesshoumaru take over, but he was not about to disobey a direct order from the young prince.

When they had gone, Rin visibly relaxed, sighing openly. "Thanks." She said, more out of habit than actual thanks. Still, she felt safer with him than being dragged around by those guards. Even if she was going to end up in the same place, she preferred the character she had tailored herself than those minor guards that she didn't remember ever actually creating. Though there was something familiar about that name 'Ojiro.' Had she been planning on using it for one of her characters at one time?

And that other one Ojiri had spoken of: 'Inutaishou.' How strange that two such familiar names should come up at the same time.

She broke from her reverie, noticing that Sesshoumaru's intense golden gaze was fixed on her again. She smiled despite herself; that was her initial reaction to being stared at. She couldn't help it; her lips peeled back in a big grin no matter how hard she tried to keep a straight face.

"Uhm, hi." She greeted self-consciously. Sesshoumaru made no reply; nothing on his face even registered that she had spoken. "Thanks for that back there." She repeated her sentence from before, elaborating on it a little.

He still did not reply. Rin fidgeted slightly, wondering what to do. _'If I had just created a personality for him, maybe I wouldn't be so nervous. I can't anticipate what his reaction to anything will be.'_ She thought dejectedly.

_'Gah! You're dealing with a real person, idiot, not some story book character!!'_ She beat herself up inwardly for such idiotic thoughts.

Turning her attention back to Sesshoumaru, she lifted her eyes, curious again. Cocking her head to one side slightly, she wasn't aware of how childish she appeared.

"You're Sesshoumaru?" She stated more than asked. He didn't answer, still investigating her thoroughly in that level manner.

Rin opened her mouth to say something else, but was cut short as another, annoyingly high-pitched tone cut through. "Sesshoumaru-sama!! Sesshoumaru-sama!!"

Rin made a face at the sound; what sounded like wet feet slapping against the floor in a mad run was heard as the screeching continued on.

Sesshoumaru turned his head toward a diminutive green and brown figure down the hallway to his right. In one of it's stubby brown-clothed arms it held a thin staff with two bulbous orbs intertwined at the top. Rin's eyebrows raised in confusion upon seeing the figure. He was so tiny and loud. . .he just had to be. . .

_'A youkai?!'_

Her heart leapt into her throat in bliss at the prospect. She had wanted to see one all her life, and here one was running toward her in plain daylight. She grinned brightly at it as it came closer. Noticing her smile out of the corner of his eyes, Sesshoumaru looked over at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the small green youkai.

"What is it, Jaken?"

* * *

Sorry about the long wait. Things got hectic. I apologize. **Bow bow**

Thanks for sticking with me, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your vacations and whatnot,I know I did. It snowed here again last night, so today I'm off school. **Uber excited** I love snow way too much sometimes, I think. . .

Well, thanks for the reviews, I'll update again as soon as possible. Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	5. Chapter Five

_**Lost World **_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Five – Youkai_

A green, toad-like man was running toward them, his buggy yellow eyes wide with a feverish kind of light gleaming in them. His hands were thin, and as green as his bulbous head, and had three sharp, dangerous looking claws on each of the tiny fingers. His feet were uncovered and webbed, platting loudly against the floor in his rush.

This 'Jaken' was rather stocky and his attire was dull and lacking of the vibrancy that was present in Sesshoumaru's kimonos. Of course, that was to be expected since Jaken appeared to be a servant of some sort.

He spluttered uncontrollably as he came to a halt in front of Sesshoumaru and Rin. In between gasps for breath, he tried to say something, but he never got more than half a word into it before having to catch his breath again.

Rin watched him, a growing happiness welling up inside of her until she felt as if her chest might explode with the emotion. The toad wasn't exactly cute, and the weird, two heads entwined into a staff in his hands didn't look inviting, but it was still the prospect of meeting such a tiny little demon.

It was a demon! A youkai! A **_real _**one. A real, live youkai. What she had always dreamed of seeing was running right towards her. And though it was not the most splendid of youkai, to her it was like viewing Heaven from a distance. This was her dream. Her childhood fantasies come to life! One cannot explain the measure of bliss that welled up inside of her. She felt like laughing and talking and a number of other things all at once. None of which was fitting for a girl her age to do though. So she tried to contain herself, which only proved to make the feeling grow more and more troublesome.

Jaken hurriedly motion to Sesshoumaru, trying to pantomime his message since it didn't appear that he was going to catch his breath anytime soon. He must have run a good distance.

He stopped short as his bulbous yellow eyes fixed on Rin's smiling face. She looked very amused and he could see her aura shining brightly with happiness and pure glee all around her. It vibrated and hummed nicely, making a very inviting and sugary melody as she continued to stare at him with bright, shiny eyes. She blinked innocently at him when he looked her way, and the aura trilled with a loving note and carried on louder than before.

He sniffed the air thoughtfully and was startled at his findings. "A-a human! Lord Sesshoumaru, don't tell me the rumor of the human girl in the forest was true!" He cried, having regained his breath when he had stared at Rin.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in a warning. Jaken immediately shut his tiny green beak and tried to regain his lost dignity in front of his master. His eyes wandered back to Rin thoughtfully from under a lowered brow to find that she was still looking at him in that bright, happy way. Her aura pulsed brightly again when their eyes met and he stepped back, unsure of how to react to this.

"Uh. . .Sesshoumaru-sama, forgive me for my rudeness, but is it truly safe to keep the human out in the open like this?" He asked in a timid tone, looking at Sesshoumaru as if he were afraid.

Rin's good humor only faltered by a smidgen, though she looked at the taller silver-haired male curiously, as if worried about this herself.

Sesshoumaru gave Jaken another sharp look and started to walk down the long hall that Jaken had come from. "Follow me." He ordered dully. Rin and Jaken exchanged a look before starting off down the hall after him hurriedly. Rin glanced down at the youkai that was walking so close to her heels and almost squealed with happiness. She looked away when Jaken sent a sharp look around after feeling her eyes on him.

_'Weird human.'_ He thought, disgruntled.

Rin continued to step lightly, one could almost see a pleased little anime-like music note float from her every now and then.

After a time of following him, Rin decided to speak. "Where are we going?" She inquired in a happy tone.

Jaken shot her a reproachful and somewhat shocked look. She suspected she was supposed to be more solemn around the 'Young Lord,' but it was rather hard to do when she was in such high spirits. She couldn't see the harm of asking him either.

He turned just slightly so that a single golden orb fastened onto her as they continued down the hallway. "To my father." He informed her, turning back.

Rin blinked. His. . .father? Did he mean 'Inutaishou?'

Jaken spluttered suddenly and his already large eyes grew even larger. Rin was momentarily frightened that they might just roll off his head, but had to force herself to think logically in such a situation, this was not some sort of deranged comedy she was in, this was reality. Despite all contradicting thoughts and scientific proof, she was sure that the place she was in was not her world at all, or anywhere _near_ her world.

She grew suddenly nervous and her hands fidgeted with each other in her lap. She wasn't good with strangers. She felt fine around these two for some odd reason, though there had been initial discomfort with Sesshoumaru, she now knew him as a familiar face and trusted him in a childish manner. But the fact that she was heading for someone of more importance and possibly of even worse humor than Jaken or even more stoic than Sesshoumaru (though she didn't know how that could be possible) made her feel out of place suddenly.

She had felt displaced the entire time, like she was being pulled too thin, stressed, overworked, unnaturally tired. But she had put it behind her, tried to ignore it somewhat. And it had worked, especially since she had been in such high spirits. She now felt it weight down on her again as anxiety released it from it's inner cage.

Rin felt drawn; her head spun and her bones felt weak, something in her mind knew what was going on and was yelling it at her, but she never caught the words. Urgently she wracked her brain, but that only proved to make her feel worse. Her equilibrium felt as if it might be thrown off as a sudden fit of lightheaded dizziness hit her. _'Oh no, not gonna. . .oh. . .dizzy. . .'_ Incoherent half-mumbles idly moved through her mind, far louder than the racing thoughts that were in the background at all times.

Her stomach twisted and her throat knotted, her tongue felt dry and thick in her mouth. Jaken gave her an odd look as he felt her demeanor give a sudden and rapid change from bright and happy to extremely bothered and jittery.

His yellow eyes widened when he saw that her face had paled, and her large, bright, shiny eyes had dulled so that they did not even glimmer faintly with their old light any longer. Her palms looked clammy and she pulled at her fingers roughly. Her eyes darted strangely about, as if she were worried or frantically searching for escape. The human briefly reminded him of a cornered animal in that instant, but the moment was lost when Sesshoumaru picked up on her change and halted, turning slowly to investigate.

Rin's pale complexion seemed to brighten a fraction when she found that he was staring at her. Her empty eyes, drowned in the whirling sickness warring inside of her, turned upward. She appeared embarrassed and quickly tried to regain her composure.

Her head was still aching and she felt the draw still, as if something were trying to suck her back, and something else was trying to hold her firmly in place. She teetered uneasily for a moment, but it might have just been the way her eyes were slanting the ground that she thought this had happened.

Jaken looked at her uneasily. There were tales of how humans brought horrible diseases. Despite those being just old superstitions that some youkai believed he was still wary.

Sesshoumaru's careful golden eyes looked her over thoughtfully and his lips seemed to twitch into a frown momentarily. "You are ill." He stated.

Rin shook her head, then, checking herself, she nodded. Seeing that the contradictory motions made no sense and were confusing all those present, she decided to speak despite the fact that opening her mouth made her stomach turn queasily.

"I'm fine. . ." She assured him. "I just got dizzy for a minute."

"You should be out if you aren't feeling well." Sesshoumaru said blandly. He turned to his bug-eyed servant. "Take Rin back to her room, and make sure that she rests." He ordered.

Rin made a face; she hated it when people put things off because of her. She wanted to meet the person who was in charge here too; maybe they could help her get back. "I'm fine." She insisted stubbornly, but the other two were ignoring her completely.

Jaken bowed. "Yes, M'Lord." Then, turning toward Rin: "Come along human."

Sesshoumaru continued on down the hallway. For a moment, Rin stood solidly in her place, determined not to let herself be forcibly taken along anywhere.

Jaken tapped his foot impatiently. Sighing to herself, Rin looked down at him somberly before following him dutifully back to the room she had woken up in.

Rin felt downcast, tagging along after the youkai that barely came up to her kneecap.

When they arrived at the room, Rin reached out and opened up the screen so that Jaken would not have to strain himself too hard. The little guy already looked like he was ticked beyond his limits.

Jaken stomped in, arms crossed, the staff with two heads tucked securely in the crook of one arm. Grumbling, he crossed to a corner of the room and sat down. Rin walked to the futon somberly and sat down, watching him like a chastised child from her seat.

Her eyes peeked up from under her lowered brow, her bangs obscuring her vision a little. She felt slightly silly, seeing as she was taller. But it wasn't like she had any authority here. She was sure just one squawk from the little green toad and she would be caught before she went three paces if she tried to escape anyway. Not that she wanted to. There was too much for her to still find out for her to consider escaping yet.

The little toad demon noticed her considering him intently and sent her a nasty glare. "What are you staring at, human? Get some rest." He ordered her angrily. Rin guessed that he was ticked about having to stay and watch her.

'_He must think it's a horrible punishment or something.'_ Rin thought to herself a little stiffly. "I'm not tired." She informed him simply.

"Well then pretend to be asleep." He snapped.

Rin made a face at him, but complied in laying her head on the futon pillow. Her eyes still watch him in contemplation though, her brows coming together in thought. Jaken's own eyes fixed onto hers, and soon they were engaged in a staring contest.

The toad's eyebrows twitched irritably, but Rin's never wavered. She seemed lost in her own contemplation, not entirely watching him or even paying attention to the rest of the world around her.

After a time, she finally broke the silence. Her voice made Jaken jump back into reality, for he too had been lost in his own intense thoughts for a moment.

"Jaken-san, where am I?" Rin questioned thoughtfully, propping herself up on one elbow.

Jaken sighed to himself, frowning at her. He turned his head to one side; his arms were still folded together. "Humans are so foolish." He mumbled to himself. "They don't know anything."

Rin narrowed her eyes dully. "Won't you answer my question?" She asked.

Jaken gave her an unsure look for a moment before rolling his large yellow eyes and sighing again. "You are in the Western Realm, which is under the protection of my Lord Inutaishou."

"The 'Western Realm?'" Rin echoed thoughtfully, rolling onto her back and pressing one finger to her lips.

The little demon was temporarily relieved, thinking she would go to sleep now that her slight curiosity was satisfied, but he was quite mistaken. Rin only turned back over at a brief pause and continued with her interrogation.

"Does that mean there are other 'Realms' as well, Jaken-san? Like, for instance, an Eastern Realm? And if there is, who rules it? Is Inutaishou-sama on good terms with them?"

It was like a gushing stream had just been unlocked, and all her worries and cares for appearing annoying or strange were dashed aside in her need for information. Her mind was racing with questions and they fell from her lips as fast as they popped up in her head. Jaken sat, dumbfounded, his mouth agape in shock at the numerous amount of questions and how furtively she continued on. Like a runaway train with no brakes.

When she stopped, apparently waiting for answers, her large brown eyes shining like an innocent child's, he huffed at her, glaring. She seemed to fall back into her old, closed-off self at the sight of him angry, but it didn't last very long.

"There are no other 'Realms,' Inutaishou-sama rules over the only one in existence. There are sections of the Realm though, and smaller rulers under Lord Inutaishou. None match his prowess and- Hey! Are you even listening!"

Rin had rolled over so her back faced him about half way through his speech. The poor youkai servant hadn't even noticed he was so engrossed in his own little world.

The girl now lay on her left side, watching the opposite wall seriously. Peeved, Jaken commenced in grumbling to himself about how disrespectful humans were.

'_So. . .I'm in some sort of 'Realm,' huh?'_ Rin thought to herself, wracking her brain about how this could have happened.

She glanced back over her shoulder temporarily to find that Jaken was still muttering to himself under his breath angrily. "Uhm. . .Jaken-san?" She asked slowly, hoping he wouldn't be too angry with her for not listening to his entire explanation on how mighty and strong this 'Inutaishou' was.

"What is it now, human?" He grouched.

"My name is 'Rin Higurashi,' _not_ 'human,' Jaken-san." She informed him. "And I was just going to ask. . .what is. . .Sesshoumaru-sama like?"

The question had been on her mind since she had first seen him in the forest. Her face flushed pink and she turned her eyes toward the ceiling. She hoped that Jaken hadn't noticed she would have been terribly embarrassed if he knew she had flushed at the memory of the stoic Lord.

It was a good thing Jaken wasn't amazingly perceptive, and did not barely even notice the flush. If he did he thought nothing of it. He actually seemed quite proud to tell her everything he knew about the young Lord, at least, all the things he was allowed to say. Since it had not been confirmed if she were an enemy yet or not, he found it important to speak on Lord Sesshoumaru's strength repeatedly, just for emphasis.

"Why, my Lord Sesshoumaru is a very powerful and courageous prince. He does not even have to use a sword at times to fight. He is the crown prince, the elder of the two sons of Inutaishou, and will someday take his father's place as Ruler of the Western Lands. As one might think, he has quite the image to keep up, though M'Lord Sesshoumaru. . ." Jaken continued to prattle on, this time taking no notice that Rin had zoned out again.

She had listened to a good deal of it intently, her whole being absorbed, but soon, as it was with all things, she fell into her own deep inner musings. She shifted uneasily once, starring at her shoes with furrowed brows. _'Sesshoumaru. . .'_

When Jaken had stopped his long description of Sesshoumaru, he found that Rin had fallen into a fitful slumber in which she was often turning and twisting. Her forehead was damp with perspiration and every now and again she uttered a little whispered moan of discomfort. Her brows were furrowed against a pain he was sure was resonating in her forehead. One or twice she mumbled something in her sleep, but it was incoherent.

Jaken became troubled. Was the human really sick? Sesshoumaru had mentioned her falling ill in the forest where he had found her before she had been brought to the castle. And before in the hallway, she had reeled as if she might suddenly pass out again. He knew humans were weak, but this just seemed unstable.

His mouth opened and closed uselessly a few times as he glanced around, as if searching for another person within the room. He sighed at length in frustration, unsure of what to do now. He looked at Rin thoughtfully before getting up off his rump at least and waddling over tot he side of her futon. Grasping the thin blanket in his hands he pulled it up over her shoulders and went swiftly to the door.

Looking back, he considered her for a moment more before leaving in search of help.

* * *

Rin squirmed in her sleep uneasily, as if she were trying to get comfortable. But she couldn't, her head was pounding and she drifted between wakefulness and her dream world for what seemed like hours. 

It was the same symptoms as before, aching stomach and head, feverish delusions, and a dull sense as if she were in two places at once, and yet not entirely anywhere at all. It was quite confusing and when she tried to trace the feelings and find their root, the throbbing in her head grew more intense, forcing her search to halt and retreat.

Gloom surrounded her, and in it she could distinguish only a few things. One was that there was someone in the room with her. What room, she could no longer remember, for it felt as if she were floating on some chummy, churning ocean that swayed in a discomforting way.

Suddenly, when she felt whoever was with her leave, she felt something else press in, something dark that whispered and hissed in her ear. She recognized the voice, but she couldn't remember from where. It was seductive though, entertaining, trying to win her trust. Some part of her did trust it too, but there was a larger part that struggled, as if it remembered something. This struggle frightened her and she fled from the dark presence as best she could in her sleep.

But it pursued her, constantly telling her sweet things, things she wanted to hear, but that she knew was not true. It claimed to help, in a way, for it spoke no words. And it seemed to know a way to get her away, to get her home.

When some part of her had become overjoyed at this thought, it had latched on with a vice like grip and had not let go. She had hesitated though, as if there were a reason she would not go back. A curious question came from the dark voice and for the briefest moment a flash of Sesshoumaru's face showed in her mind, accompanied by a sketch of him still lying, neglected on her desk at home.

The voice had acted in alarm and she felt herself cowering as it grew in the back of her mind, enraged.

Something touched her arm, her _real_ arm, and Rin jolted awake, taking in deep gasps of breath. She felt cold sweat all over her body and her eyes were wide and wild. Frantically she looked around, pulling her arms tightly against the rest of her body. Her legs did the same in an attempt to protect herself from something. Her mind was still burning from the contact with the menace from before.

She calmed when she saw that several women were watching her just as fearfully as she was watching them. "Oh, I'm-I'm sorry." She stammered, letting herself relax from her tight, in-drawn position.

One of the three that were sitting near her smiled softly. Her teeth were sharp and pointed, pure white, like ivory. Rin tried not to stare. Was this another youkai?

"What happened?" She inquired, hoping to get her mind off of youkai for a moment.

"You were quite sick, ningen-san." The woman that had smiled at her now informed her in a soft, delicate tone. "We have tried to treat you, but none of our remedies seem to work. The fever you had has broken though, mysteriously, but you should still rest to prevent a relapse."

Her advice was cool, but not in the same smooth way as Sesshoumaru's was. No, this woman still had emotion behind her words.

"Sick. . ." Rin mumbled to herself, ignoring the constant comments of 'human' that were coming up to focus on something more pressing. "Have I been out long?"

It took the women a moment to comprehend her slang and strange dialect. They had never heard someone slur their words so much, not even the young men of the court, who were always trying to show off with foul language and poor use of their language. Still, this was much different. . .

"No, you have been asleep only a few hours. Quite miraculous that you should recover so soon from what seemed so serious."

"Serious?" Rin was worried suddenly that she might have caught something like the Flu in a time where there was no medicine for it or something worse. What if she got pneumonia? Surely they wouldn't know how to treat that? She knew people still died from it in her time, but it was rare compared to when her grandfather had been her age. And even rarer when compared to times before _that_. She couldn't imagine what might happen if she was in a place that's technology was on par with, say- the Sengoku Jidaii.

The women nodded in unison, all of them looked as if something disturbed them. "When even the medicines _we_ have do not even scratch the surface, it would be wise to consider your former illness lethal."

The word echoed hollowly in her mind. 'Lethal.' As in, it might kill her. As in, she might not see her family ever again. As in, she might not even do _anything_ again.

The thought of ceasing to exist, of going to somewhere she had no idea about frightened her, and she sat in stony silence for some time. She had just danced with death and she had not known. . .Or had she?

She had been in pain, but she was sure those that were dying felt far worse than she did. This confused her; she wasn't sure what to make of the situation with her limited knowledge of diseases. From her experience with it, she had no idea what to call it. Maybe one of those twenty-four hour viruses? No, that couldn't be right. . .

"If ningen-san is feeling well, she should like to know that Inutaishou-dono is awaiting her recovery to speak with her."

Rin started, blinking at them in shock. Inutaishou? Just as the name started to reverberate in her head, she heard a loud, commanding voice from outside the doors. "Well, stand aside then, stand aside. I'll go right on in. No, don't you follow me, I think I'll be quite all right."

It sounded hearty and it pleased her to hear such a nice voice. It made her feel at home, made her feel welcome. It was like she had just heard one of her uncles bellowing for her instead of what she knew must be Inutaishou. For a moment she was at peace, not frightened at all, but the anxiety soon set in again as the women scurried away, and the doors to her compartment slid back swiftly.

* * *

Hello again, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting so long. But the chapter is much longer from last time as a bonus. Heh.

I'm mass-updating again, so there's not much time for me to talk, sorry.

I'll see you all next chapter! Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	6. Chapter Six

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Six – Anxiety_

Rin felt her mouth go dry, her throat closed up as if she were about to cry, though there were no tears. Her jaw muscles made her teeth come together in her mouth tightly. She went rigid, back stiff and a cold feeling immediately settled on her. She felt as if she were drenched in cold water, and hot flashes soon set in. Her hands grew clammy in her lap and she fiddled with them haphazardly as she watched the screen door open before her eyes.

She was jittery as a tall man stepped in, only a little taller than Sesshoumaru. He had the same long, silver hair, though his was gathered at the top into a nice long ponytail that swayed from side to side with his every step. He smiled broadly and warmly but that did not appease her rapid palpitations. She knew her face was red, and she must have looked terrified, for he sat down a good distance away from her when he saw her face, almost as if he did not wish to frighten her.

His eyes were a bright gold, just like Sesshoumaru's, and on each cheek was a single, jagged purple stripe. Not like the thin ones that lined either of Sesshoumaru's cheeks. Up in the middle of his forehead, was the same blue-purple crescent moon as well. He wore a simple kimono, none of the glorious armor that she was sure she'd find him in. Well, it was simple as far as a Lord's kimono goes.

Rin looked at his long, graceful fingers uncertainly, for they were tipped with sharp claws the gleamed brightly when he moved his hand. His ears were sharply pointed as well, making her wonder about the reoccurring trait among the people, and suddenly remembered the small green ears that Jaken had. Were they all youkai then?

Her eyes widened at this thought, and a flash seemed to light up her mind, sending a cold shock running through her. Her eyes fell on the fangs that glistened in his wide grin. Unsure, she cast her eyes aside.

So that meant that Sesshoumaru was one too. . . ?

She was glad that he had not come very close, that would have made the situation even more awkward to her, and already she knew she could not speak.

Growing up, she had become used to these sudden mood swings within her body. When she had been young, she had often been called on to read in class. Her body would react just the same, and when she spoke, her voice would be thin and quivery. Lines that were meant to be questions came off as statements, and statements came off as exclamations or questions. At the end, she would be left in a frazzled state, her legs shaking under her desk when she sat back down. The other students would joke with her later, telling her how red her face had gotten, or how much they had tried not to laugh when she had stumbled over a word that she already knew how to pronounce properly.

She was ashamed that she could never get herself to cooperate, and tried often to get a hold of herself. She was a teenager now, fifteen in fact, and there was no reason why she should continue acting like a frightened child whenever a situation came up that caused her to be even the slightest bit nervous. It was no use though, her mind was shot and impulse overrode clear thought patterns.

It was one of _those_ times again, she knew it. All she wanted to do was curl up and fade away; she hated how closely he was watching her. She wished her happy mood from before were back, though she wasn't quite sure anymore what she had been so pepped up about in the first place. There was nothing to be happy about, at least, that's what she was telling herself now.

Lifting her eyes, she found that he was still smiling at her, though he had let his lips drop back over his pointed teeth, making her feel somewhat more comfortable. It was still strange being in a room alone with what she presumed was a youkai Lord. And not only that, but she had been rescued and led around like a puppy by a youkai Prince if it were true. She felt ashamed of her earlier behavior and blushed; though her face could have gotten no redder.

He finally broke the pause, his features lighting up with a contagious grin again. Rin wanted to smile back at the tall Lord, but her lips refused to move. "I have not been informed on what your name is, so you must excuse my rudeness. I am Inutaishou, Lord of the castle you have been lodging in."

Rin watched him, a war of emotions fueling inside of her. She didn't want to be discourteous to her host, but then again, she shouldn't just tell him anything just because he was being polite and asking so nicely. Who knew whom she could trust? Again she kicked herself for being so empty-headed earlier; she hated when she had spells like that. Her mouth opened and she stumbled over words, finding none that she thought were suitable for the situation. When nothing but strange gawking noises came out, she immediately shut her mouth again.

Inutaishou had watched her with a curious kind of air for a moment before beaming with understanding, a hearty laugh rumbling in him. "I suppose you wouldn't trust me, would you?" He stated rather than asked.

Rin decided that she definitely liked him, he was very nice and reminded her so much of her father. . .But she wasn't about to be drawn in by that. She steeled herself again, shifting uncomfortably.

Bowing her head, she found that words came to her easier when she did not have to meet that glowing golden gaze. "I'm sorry." She said in a soft tone.

He shook his head once. "No, no, you're not obligated to answer anything, though I am curious as to a few things. How about this, I'll ask you a few things, and if you aren't comfortable with answering them, then you don't have to?" He suggested, still smiling.

Yes, he definitely reminded Rin of her father before he had. . .Rin nodded, agreeing to this proposition.

Inutaishou grinned when he saw that she seemed a little less nervous than she was before and possibly a touch more open as well. "Alright, let's start with your name, Miss."

"I am called Rin." Rin managed to say, her anxiety easing, though she was still on her guard against letting her tongue slip.

"Rin," he tested it, then continued on. "Miss Rin, you were found unconscious in the middle of the forest to the East of here with no sign as to where you had come from or where you were going to. From where do you hail? And what business brought you to my lands?"

Rin stiffened slightly, mind racing. What was she going to say? Would he believe her if she told him the truth? Was telling him the truth even an option?

"I come from Japan." It was an obvious answer, but it was the first thing that came to mind, and she didn't think it would hurt to let him know the name of her country. He was speaking her language after all. . .

He looked at her for a moment, as if considering what she had said quite seriously. Oh no, had she said something wrong already? Nervously, she hoped that this was Japan and he was just looking at her strangely because she had stated the obvious.

"It is quite obvious from your scent that you are from Japan, but there is something different as well." He seemed to be musing to himself, touching his chin with his thumb and forefinger as he spoke and looking more at the ceiling than at her.

Her scent? Oh, if he were a youkai, yes, that would make sense. But different? Different how? Her mind traveled to the world of steel and asphalt that she called her own and then compared it with this wonderful place of purity. Yes, there was no doubt that her Japan was different.

But if this was Japan. . .had she gone back in time? Impossible, she was sure some of the plants she had spotted in the forest had been extinct for millions of years. And not even seen on this continent at that! No, this couldn't be a Japan she knew, but Inutaishou acted as if it could be no other. Strange, what was this place then?

"I'm not sure. . ." Rin stumbled for the right words. How could she tell him anything that was near the truth without letting on to the whole crazy concept that she had been pulled through space by some unknown pelted figure? What's more, she couldn't see her attacker's motive for bringing her here in the first place, she had yet to find out if she was some 'destined savior' like all those teenage girls in the manga she constantly read. She hoped she wasn't, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to take such a big responsibility on her shoulders.

Inutaishou looked up as Rin puzzled over how to answer his inquiries. She scratched her head with one hand uselessly and gave him a shy smile. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure how I can explain. . .I came here under. . .irregular circumstances and I'm not even sure if I understand why I am here or how I got here."

The Lord nodded as if he understood her predicament, and a strange looked crossed his eyes that Rin was unable to read before he turned his head and the look changed. "Tell me, Miss Rin, would you say that this Japan is unlike the one that you claim to come from?" He seemed to be trying to get something out of her without asking for it directly.

Could it be that others like her had come through to this world? Rin mouth opened to spurt out her tale right away, but she double-checked herself and shut it again, thinking about her next move.

After a moment of thinking, she decided that she was getting nowhere, and the only way to figure out how to get home, was to figure out how she got here and if they knew anything that could help.

Sighing, her shoulder's sagged a little in dismay. Well, if they were gonna think she was a nutcase, she might as well get it over with.

"I come from Tokyo Japan, the year 20XX. I'm enrolled at Mikawa High School along with my elder sister. I came home from school one day to find that my family – who is always home when I get back – was gone. Maybe I overreacted, but it was just too weird, and after that thing with the flower. . ." Rin caught herself before she strayed off topic and continued on, not meeting Inutaishou's eyes for fear of his reaction to her tale.

"I panicked and went to the old shrine outside. When I got there, there was this strange man," His sultry voice and the piercing of red eyes filled her mind, making her heart thump hollowly for a moment. "He started to say these weird things, he acted as if he knew everything about me, and then he started to talk about some other world where I would 'fit in' where I would ' be better off' and if I wished, he could take me there.

"For a minute I believed him, I think, and when I woke up from the daze created from believing that crazy story, I realized that what I suspected was my own world was collapsing around me. Terrified, I jumped into this old well that sits in the middle of the shrine, and when I woke up I was here. Sounds like something outta a silly sci-fi novel."

Sheepishly, Rin finished and finally looked up at Inutaishou with pink cheeks and an embarrassed look.

Rin was surprised when he did not immediately start laughing in her face, or give her a strange look. She knew she had dragged out her tale too long probably and added in little tidbits that probably didn't matter, but she was so nervous, she couldn't stop her loose tongue. Apologetically, she watched him, waiting for his response to her less-than-believable story. His face was unreadable, as deadpan as Sesshoumaru's was, for the first time she noticed how much they truly resembled each other.

When he did not reply after a moment of deep silence, Rin spoke up again, her voice small, "Is there any way you know of that can take me back home, Inutaishou-sama?"

There was a melancholy look in his eye, clouded and misty, as if in deep, deep thoughts of a sad past. He looked up as he voice lifted the silence and shook his head sadly.

Why, that wasn't the reaction she had thought she would receive at all! Sadness? For her? No, not her, someone else, someone very precious to him. . .

Rin eased somewhat, but felt her heart start to break when he shook his head like that. Then there was no way for her to return home?

'_Mother, Kagome, Souta, Jii-chan. . .'_ Her mind wandered to her family far away and the brief flicker of hope that had been kept in her suddenly was dowsed, a darkness settling in on that place where it had been.

Her throat closed up and tears welled up in her brown eyes, she sniffed them back, holding them down until she was alone later on.

A deep sigh came from Inutaishou, his happier demeanor from before disappearing as fast as hers had and now she could see the serious ruler that sat before her. There were a few slim lines from worry and stress creasing his forehead, but not nearly as many as her Jii-chan had. Still he looked far more like a solid being to her than ever he had before. Now that his eyes were filled with sadness, not for her, but for someone else that she still could not identify.

Following the sigh was another slow shake of his head, before he met her eyes. "It is my duty to inform you, Miss Rin, that we do not have the ability to send you back. This has only happened once before, and everything we tried was unsuccessful then as well. There is only one thing I can think of that we were unable to do the last time such a thing happened."

Despite her curiosity over who else had come here before her, Rin perked up at the possibility that there might be even a flicker of hope left for her. "Yes?" She tried not to sound too eager or get too excited, it might end up being a dead end.

"If you knew anything more about the man that brought you to this world," he rubbed his forefinger and thumb over his temples once before dragging the open palm down his face as if he were exhausted. Rin wondered at how much his attitude had changed just in the course of a few minutes.

"If you could identify him, then maybe he would know how to send you back. But it would not be easy." He warned, and a hint of a wry smile crossed his features. "Is there anything that was distinct about him? From what you have told me, he seems a man of power and may very well be one of my subjects."

Rin could answer that right away and did not hold back her information. "He would not say his name, but he had a very. . .entrancing voice and hid behind a white pelt with a blue baboon's head and had devilish red eyes. Other than that, I couldn't see anything."

Inutaishou considered this and nodded, giving her a reassuring smile; he seemed to come out of the stupor he had been in a little. "I will do my best to send you back to your home, Miss Rin, please enjoy your time here as much as you can until then. I would like to learn as much as I can from you about modern day Tokyo and answer any of your questions, but I have other business to attend to at the moment."

Getting up, he let out a little grunt. His legs, so long inactive gave him a bit of a hard time, but soon he stood proud and tall, giving Rin one last nod of his head before turning to go.

"I-Inutaishou-sama, may I ask one small question before you go?" Rin asked, getting to her feet hurriedly and stumbling. She had shifted to sit on her knees during their conversation and now her legs were receiving the long-absent blood flow back in them again.

He half-turned, giving her a curious look. "Of course."

"Who was the person that came here before me?" It was a simple question, but from the look that crossed his features, she could tell it was one that pained him. What had that person meant to him that it caused him such pain when they were mentioned?

He gave her that melancholy half-smile from before and let one of his big hands pat her on the head comfortingly before answering. "She was a girl from modern Japan like you, and she was very sweet."

And with that he turned and went out the shouji door, leaving her to her thoughts and a deep sadness aching in her.

* * *

Finally updated, sorry about the long wait everyone.I'm a bit of a slacker and very lazy, so I have been shirking my author's duties lately. **repeated bowing** Gomen nasai!

Anyway, I'm hoping to get this moving into a more exciting part of the plot from here, and I'm planning on getting another new chapter up while I'm on spring break here in the next week. Heh.

Thanks for the reviews and your patience, minna-san. I appreciate all your support and help as I continue with this little fiction here. Also, I'd like to thank all of those out there that give me constructive criticism. It helps me a lot and keeps me level-headed when I steer too far off course.** bow** Arigatou!

See you all next chapter! Happy Easter!

Review Please.


	7. Chapter Seven

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Seven – Sister_

Kagome was distraught. Her sister, her darling sister whom she had loved since the moment she had seen her at the hospital where she was born was missing.

Gone.

Disappeared.

Almost as if by instinct, she had thought that something was wrong as she walking home. Maybe it was the way the wind blew her hair, or that sudden shiver she had felt. Maybe it was the dropped red blossom on the stone steps that alerted her to a change, but she couldn't be sure.

She had brushed it off though, thought nothing of it until she came to Rin's room. She popped her head in; ready to spook her sister who she was sure was lost in some other world in a book in her favorite chair. But the room was empty, and eerily still.

A curious thought entered her head, confused by the lack of Rin in a usually Rin-filled space. She knew her younger sibling to come directly home and hang out in her room for ages just reading, writing or drawing. The room usually adopted an easy-going, inviting air when she was working, but now it stood void, empty and cold.

There was no Rin; not even a sign of the young brown-haired girl was anywhere in the room. The room looked the same as it had when they had left this morning.

As she walked back downstairs, she noticed that the strange silence seemed to be spreading, and a foreboding feeling gripped her. What was this uneasy air that had settled and why did she think something terrible had happened?

Curiously, she called out her sister's name, waiting for the response she was sure would come. She was just overreacting again; there was nothing to worry about. Rin was quite fine, she had probably decided to watch TV or something instead.

Except Rin didn't watch that much TV, she was rarely interested in the shows unless they were interviewing an author or it was the News.

Maybe she had gone for a drink instead, or a snack. . .But Rin's room was untouched still, and it had been hours since school ended. Kagome swallowed, wondering if her sister had even made it home.

No answer came.

She arrived in the kitchen where the rest of her happy family was conveniently assembled, unaware that one of the two sisters was missing. They stopped their chatter and preparations for dinner when Kagome entered, looking worried.

"What's the matter dear?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, raising one eyebrow in concern.

"Have any of you seen Rin?" Kagome tried to keep her tone cool, making a passing question and not the worry-filled exclamation she was sure was gonna squeak out of her throat. She couldn't shake the overwhelming fear that was starting to build in her.

The more she thought about it, the more it grew. It just wouldn't make sense for Rin to be in the house and out of her regular routine; this was totally unlike her.

"No, I thought she went with you. She hasn't been home all day." Mrs. Higurashi replied, looking to her son and Jii-chan to see them nod their agreement. None of them had seen the girl since she had left earlier in the day.

"Well, it's not like her to disappear out of the blue like that, I'm sure she's here somewhere." Their mother reasoned, giving them a reassuring smile.

Kagome nodded and walked off to investigate the rest of the rooms in the house. Maybe Rin had gone into the little alcove-room that acted as a library and fallen asleep in one of the chairs again. She tried to believe this, but still the odd sense of foreboding lingered, making her fret and worry as she checked more and more empty rooms.

It was possible that they had overlooked her entrance, wasn't it. . . ?

* * *

When finally every room was checked twice over and still there was no sign of Rin, Kagome felt sick with worry. She had always been close to her sister and had worried when she had seen her sister day dreaming so often.

Where was she?

Added to the worry was guilt. Maybe if she had just come home instead of going out with her friends she would know where her sister was right now. She had checked her room several times, even looking under the bed and behind the chairs. The library shelves had a thin coat of dust over them; nothing had been touched since Rin's last visit. No new fingerprints were left in the thin gray film.

"Have you found her yet?" She heard her mother ask; Kagome had entered right after Souta, who looked perplexed.

"I looked everywhere; her shoes aren't at the door and neither is her schoolbag." Souta replied in a worried tone.

"Where could that girl have got to?" Their mother asked, sounding worried as well. She abandoned her cooking utensils and wiped her hands on her apron as she headed for the phone. She hesitated as she reached for it, about ready to dial for the police. No, no, it was still too early for that.

"Has anyone checked the shrine yet?" Their grandfather suggested.

Souta shook his head; Kagome didn't need to answer, she was out the door in the direction of the old shrine without a second thought.

It wasn't much of a hope, Rin probably wouldn't be there, but she had to hope, had to look and make sure.

As she ran toward the wooden structure in the fading light of the day, she saw footprints in the dirt, flattened blades of grass, and upturned gravel all leading to the partially-open door of the shrine. Kagome felt her heart flutter in her chest wildly. Rin was in the old well-house shrine! She was safe!

Calm settled over her and Kagome slowed her pace to a jog now. "Rin?" She called, ready to chew her sister out for worrying them all so much.

Really, that girl had such a cloud-filled head on her shoulder's sometimes! Sure she was responsible, but she day-dreamed far too much, probably one of her flights of fancy had taken her to the shrine and she was still sitting there just writing or sketching one of the old artifacts within.

"Rin! If you're in here I'm gonna-"

Kagome never finished her threat; the words died as she thrust the door open wide and looked in on the dank room.

The rest of the shrine was fine, empty, dark and unappealing in every way. The old well that sat in the middle was still there; the smell of rotting wood was still there, even the old steps leading down to the well set in the dirt were still there. Nothing was out-of-place.

The thing that caught Kagome's attention though was the limp form of her young sister's body near the well rim, turned on her side, her back to Kagome.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat. Her sister's schoolbag lay neglected by the entrance; she nearly fell over it as she hastened to her sister's side.

"Rin! Oh my God, Rin! Are you OK?" She cried, her throat squeezed over worried tears as she pulled Rin over to lie on her back.

Rin's eyes were wide open, the pupils had disappeared and she stared as if in a state of shock at the roof, mouth partially open. A red flower was held smothered in her hand; Kagome recognized it as one of the ones at the foot of the stone steps that led to the shrine and their house. She was breathing faintly, but her body was frigid cold, almost as if her soul had left her.

Kagome shook her limp shoulders, crying out for help. "Rin! Rin, wake up!" Troubled tears started to gush from her eyes, and her breathing was shallow but fast. She wasn't sure what to do, her poor sister! What could have happened!

She sat like that for a while, too frightened of leaving Rin alone to go and get help, and no one came to check on her either. She was distraught, terrified and trying to get a hold of herself so she could think straight. If she wanted to help Rin, she had to go and get her mom to call an Ambulance or something; she shouldn't just be sitting here crying her eyes out. But she couldn't loosen her tight grip on her sister; it felt like she would fade away if Kagome let her go.

As if answering her fears, she thought she saw Rin's face growing dimmer and dimmer. At first she thought it was the dim light playing tricks with her eyes, but then she saw a glimpse of her school uniform through her sister's face and she panicked. Looking to the rest of her sister, she could see that her body was definitely disappearing. But to where and why?

This wasn't normal! Human bodies didn't just disappear! As far as she knew, nothing like this ever happened to any creature. Things like this only happened in those freaky sci-fi novels that Rin liked so much. The ones about the people getting taken to other worlds. . .

Kagome clung to her, trying to get up. Maybe she could. . . if only she could. . .

It was no use; she couldn't drag her fading sister to the home for her family to see before she was completely gone. And this wasn't something she wanted them to see anyway; it was much too frightening, she was sure she was losing her mind now. This just couldn't be happening!

"Rin?" She asked as she watched the last of her sister's form fade away to Kami-sama knew where.

"Rin, what's going on?" She pleaded; she could feel the load of Rin's body disappearing rapidly from her arms and lap.

She sniffed back tears, closing her eyes only briefly to try and clear them properly.

When she opened them again, Rin's body had completely disappeared; her arms encircled nothing but the crumbled red flower that had fallen to her lap.

* * *

Rin sat in the empty room, contemplating Inutaishou's words. Another girl like her had come here once? Had she been able to get back home again? She felt elated at the thought, but she soon calmed. No, that wasn't it. . .

The way his eyes had grown sad along with his tone, and he had seemed lost in some memory. Had that girl, perhaps been his. . . ? No, it wasn't possible. . .Was it?

She couldn't get it out of her head, and there was absolutely no one to consult on the matter either. Not like she'd be comfortable talking with anybody here though. Maybe that Jaken demon, but she wasn't sure about anybody else. It wasn't exactly like she had made a bunch of friends. . .

Looking at the shouji doors critically, she wondered if she would be allowed to wonder the halls now.

Shifting uneasily as she sat on her knees, she looked around the empty room, wondering what to do next.

Again she recalled the sci-fi/fantasy romance manga she had read from time-to-time back in her own world and shook her head with a sigh. No, no powers for her, no summoning strange beast-Gods, no granting wishes, no political struggles over the heroines powers, no bishies, no nothing! She just wanted to go home, and the last thing she wanted was to hear: _"Surprise, you are now the incarnation of our Goddess that no living person could ever pronounce the name of correctly and you get to take care of our kingdom since we're such slackers and can't do it ourselves and be with all of us for forever and ever and ever!" _

Okay, maybe she was being a bit selfish. If she couldn't get home and they really needed her help and all, maybe she could lend them a hand. . .NO! If she had some strange mystical power in this world, she was gonna use it to get her back home!

Torn, Rin bit her bottom lip nervously, brows furrowing. She didn't want any powers though, that would just be too much responsibility that she didn't want or need. After all, what was that quote from that American movie she had gone to see with Kagome? "With great power comes great responsibility?" Hm, it was something like that. . .

But the thing with Japanese school-girls that suddenly got whisked into another world was that they _always_ got powers and a troupe of bishies to look after them while they went on some quest to save the kingdom or something. And the heroine was always some generic-bubbly-headed person that was no good at school.

That was it, Rin knew she got off on idiot-parades sometimes, but she definitely wasn't bubbly and a social butterfly; and she could see that there were no bishie harems so far, so she must be safe. Besides, if she were really some savior or whatever, wouldn't Inutaishou have said something from the beginning?

Rin sighed; she had gotten over-worked and thought all those horrible things for nothing then. Of _course_ she wasn't in some shoujo manga, she wasn't the type to be in one of those!

She was a bookworm, quiet and kept to herself. She rarely approached people to make friends or simply talk because she felt that she was annoying people all the time. Sure, that vanished at times, so to speak in Jaken's case, but still, she wasn't at all comfortable talking to anyone out-of-the-blue like that usually. She was what people might call the loner-type, though she had never styled herself as such and really wouldn't mind having friends. It was just more awkward for her it seemed. She wasn't sure why, but she had always felt that they were all different from her, living in their simple world and dealing only with things on the surface. . .

Snapping out of her reverie, Rin blinked, trying to clear the haze from her eyes that had grown while she had been deep in thought.

Well, if she couldn't get home right away, she would have to think of this as an extended vacation. It would be nice to get away from school for a while anyway. And this was what she had wished right? To get away from it all, to visit some other world where she seemed to 'fit-in' more and to see youkai? And she hadn't even had to get a passport! What a bargain!

She sighed sadly, thinking of her family suddenly. What would they think when they discovered that she was gone? Would they call a big search and put up posters and have her on the News? What would her classmates think? She gave a wry smile at the thought. They probably never noticed her before and suddenly her face and name are on TV and they would all say: 'Hey, wasn't that girl in our class?'

And her sister and brother would be plagued with questions, those filthy media people would be all over her room, her Jii-chan would re-open the shrine in an effort to try and fund the search for her. She wondered what they would think it was. . .Would she be kidnapped by some mysterious yakuza in a sleek black foreign Italian car, or would she be running away from home because she was a "friendless nobody?"

She stopped her thoughts there. She was getting too much humor out of this, her family was probably worried sick by now and here she was laughing about it. What was her problem? She unfolded her knees from under her and brought them up so she could bury her head in them as she sniffed back tears.

She couldn't go home, she had no ties to her world except her stupid schoolgirl uniform, not even her school bag had made it through with her! No photos of her family, no necklace from them, nothing to remind her of them. What if she forgot their faces? What if she was stuck here forever and never got back home again to see them? Would they assume she was dead and forget about her?

Tears flooded her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She clenched her teeth together and took deep breath to stifle any sobs. She didn't want anyone to hear her crying it would be too embarrassing. Her body shook, her throat hurt, her mouth went dry. She squeezed her arms around her legs tightly as the salt water continued to stream down her face, which had turned red.

It took a while to calm, so many thoughts and emotions filled her head and flowed through her body to come out in the form of the tears. The sleeves of her uniform were soggy; her nose was running and she sniffed several times to try and clear it.

Rubbing her hand over her eyes, she sniffed again, her breath still choked in her throat as she stood and determinedly opened the shouji door. She wasn't about to sit and sulk all day, it was worth exploring wasn't it, even though she felt as if she were breaking some rule. . .

Looking cautiously around, Rin once again escaped her little prison and this time made sure to watch for guards as she set out.

* * *

Alright, finally next chapter we shall see Rin explore the castle! Also, as to those that think the girl that came before Rin was Izaiyou…My lips are sealed. **evil laughter**

Thank you everyone for your reviews! You really are wonderful and keep me going. Thanks to minna-san!

Well, I'll see you soon! Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	8. Chapter Eight

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Eight – Dog_

Rin slipped out cautiously, listening intently for any sign that someone else was coming along.

Walking as silently as possible, she took in as much of the building as possible. The castle - or so she supposed it was – was ancient looking to her, though she could tell that from the sleekness of the wood and the simple fresh air that the building was not as old as she suspected.

The place was absolutely beautiful in structure and Rin marveled at it, despite the fact that she had never been partial to the way houses were built.

Wandering about, the walls soon opened up to accommodate a flower garden that had been placed near the heart of the castle. The blue sky whirled by overhead, the sun peeking out gently from behind a fluffy cloud. Flowers swayed on tall stalks and held tightly to the bushes as a gently breeze tempted their petals into a waltz.

The entire area had a sweet smell to it, even the dewy grass that lay as a plush carpet smelled exceptionally good. It was a definite change from the stinky Tokyo air that Rin was accustomed to back in her own world. Even on trips to the country, the air had not been this pure. She felt a sudden childish longing to lie down in the grass or walk among the sea of colors that formed a strange rainbow in the garden.

Instead she gave the flowers a wary glance. She was very tempted to go out into the sunlight. The breeze had already switched its attention from the flower petals to her hair, lifting it gently so that it brushed lightly against her face and neck. She dared not go though, there was no telling what would happen if she were to be seized again. She wasn't sure, but she didn't want to worsen her situation by being caught when she wasn't supposed to be out.

Then again, she wondered why she had bothered leaving the room at all if she was going to be such a worrywart over being caught again.

Apprehensively, she sneaked toward the flowers, trying not to look suspicious but keeping watch at the same time.

Her fingers slowly reached out as she stroked a single petal of a rose that she had never seen before. Maybe it was a hybrid? She wasn't sure, but she had never seen the color so acute and spectacular before. It was as if she had never seen flowers before this. A feast for the eyes that only got better the closer she got. The smell was heavenly as well, and Rin didn't find herself getting watery-eyed or stuffy like she might of back home either.

Remembering the incident with the red flower when this whole mess had began; she drew her fingers back swiftly and clutched them to herself as if she had been bit. A small tingle of fear ran up her spine as the memory rushed back and replayed before her eyes. What had happened that day that had made it so different than all the other days? She couldn't think of one thing that had been out of place from her regular routine and yet now here she was, stuck in some foreign country, possibly it might even be medieval Japan. Where was she really? She hadn't gotten a chance to ask Inutaishou before, and now she was frightened of the new land again. It was all so strange, and yet so familiar at the same time. . .

There was a whine and something cold touched the back of her calf. Rin flinched, coming back out of her troubled thoughts. Jumping forward an inch or so, Rin whirled, expecting to find someone watching her.

There was indeed someone watching her, but not someone she had suspected at all. Standing behind her, tail lowered, was a large white dog, a breed that Rin had never seen before either.

It was pure white, which was amazing in itself and on its forward hidden under matted fur was a purple-blue crescent moon mark. It was rather large, its head reaching up to Rin's waist, so she didn't have to stoop to pet it. It had shaggy fur; the kind that is very warm and fuzzy to hold but smells foul when wet. This dog did not smell though, or so Rin did not assume with the fragrant flowers so nearby. Two large golden eyes watched her intensely, neither in greeting nor friendship, just watching.

Now, Rin had always had a soft spot for anything fuzzy or furry in nature. Thus growing up she had been a lower of anything on four legs. She had desperately wanted a dog or a cat, any kind of pet when she was a child, but alas her mother was allergic to them.

She had somewhat grown out of it since. Mind you – _somewhat_. As she laid her eyes on the dog, she felt the old childish giggle and delight bubble up in her and with an effort she was able to suppress it. Only after she had contented herself with petting the dogs head for a few minutes did she actually start to feel like she could act normally again.

"Hey big guy, who are you?" She didn't expect a reply, but she spoke anyway.

Kneeling in the grass now, she gave him a small smile as she continued to pet his head. Unlike other dog's, this one did not respond with the usual whines and encouraging motions. Instead it held quite stiffly still, following her every motion with his amber-gold eyes.

"Where did you come from? You live here in this castle?" Rin continued, still not expecting any response. For some reason, it felt good just to talk, even if the dog couldn't talk back.

The floppy ears on the dogs head raised a little when she spoke, so there was some acknowledgement to the sounds she was making, though she was sure he didn't understand one word.

With the appearance of the dog, however, Rin felt the apprehensiveness creep back over her. She felt suddenly nervous and jumpy, as one usually does when one feels someone's eyes on their back.

Surely if the dog had an owner, they'd be around here somewhere, right? She had never heard of dogs roaming castles aimlessly in times like these like they did in houses in her world. So that meant that whoever was caretaker for the dog would be nearby. She wondered if they would be a youkai too. She looked at the dog pointedly, as this thought crossed her mind. Was the dog a youkai too?

She scratched it behind one of its large, fluffy white ears and stared into its amber eyes. No, surely not. This dog was too beautiful to be a demon. Then again, the prince of the castle had been rather beautiful and so had Inutaishou and both were demons. She felt her cheeks reddening and she shook her head. She was being stupid again.

Getting up slowly, she stretched and looked about. The dog was still watching her and she felt rather uncomfortable with its unblinking stare placed so intensely on her.

Deciding to look about the castle some more, Rin made her way back to the wooden porch and followed it until it curved back inside. The click on a dog's nails and the tiny 'thp' sound of the pads on the dog's paws followed her the entire way. Rin tried to ignore it at first, thinking if she did so, maybe the dog would go away. It stayed on her trail though; she could feel it's piercing yellow eyes fixed on her back.

After some time and still unable to lose the great white dog, Rin wondered if it had been ordered to follow her by a guard or Inutaishou. Maybe he was some kind of escort for her? She couldn't help but giggle. It sounded too much like a shoujo manga. Here she was, the Japanese school-girl heroine and her adorable dog-companion that would be the mascot of the series. What would the series be entitled? Maybe…_Mahou Shoujo Rin-chan_. She liked the sound of that, but then again, it wasn't very original, was it?

She pondered it some more, and wondered if she should chronicle her adventures here in this world. When she got back home, she could write a book or even make a manga out of her experiences. That would be nice, she had always wanted to be an author or an artist of some sort anyway.

The dog gave a bark that broke her from her thoughts again. She realized that she had been making slow progress due to her daydreams and had started in a zigzag course that the dog was obviously not too fond of following. Rin gave it a disgruntled look.

"Stop following me then," she replied, as if it had actually spoken.

The dog snorted at her as it waited for her to start walking again.

Rin gave it one final look before starting to turn a corner. Her heart jumped into her throat when she heard oncoming footsteps though, and she quickly looked for a place to hide. Voices were coming as well, mostly women and one or two male tones. She figured they were servants, but still she felt the urgency to not be seen.

The only place she could see that was worth hiding was under the porch itself. Hurriedly, Rin jumped into the grass two feet down and shot underneath the dusty and dirty porch. She crouched there, holding her breath and trying to calm the furious palpitations of her heart. If they were demons too, would they be able to sense or smell her nearby? She hoped not, that would make her hiding utterly ridiculous. The white dog had not followed her, she hoped it didn't give away her hiding spot.

It seemed to take forever for the small group of servants to walk by. Guessing from the number of varying tones and the sound of their footsteps, Rin guessed there were maybe five or six of them. They slowed as they passed over her and she thought for a moment that they had found her. Instead she was surprised when they acted with respect. She knew they must have been bowing as they spoke humbly to another passerby that Rin had not heard coming at all.

"Good day, M'Lord."

"Greetings, young prince."

"Prince Sesshoumaru, have a nice day, sir."

Rin froze up. She knew for sure that Sesshoumaru was a youkai, and with that he must be able to sense her below the floorboards. _'Oh no, what am I gonna do now?'_

As the group departed and they disappeared around a further corner, Rin felt herself still stiff. She had not heard the prince come or go and suspected that he was still there above her, waiting for her to make a move so he could catch her running around again.

'_How humiliating,'_ Rin thought as she noticed that she had gotten a bit dirty hiding underneath the filthy porch.

Gathering up her courage, Rin sneaked out from underneath the porch and slowly looked up over the floorboards. She suspected that he would be right there when she reappeared. However, all that stared back at her was the white dog from before. His tongue lolled out to one side now as he panted in the heat of the day, but other than that, there was no sign of anyone else around.

Rin raised on eyebrow in confusion. She had heard them address the prince, but she didn't see him anywhere. Looking around, she found that there was indeed not even a small trace of him. Maybe he had passed without noticing her and she had been too distracted to notice his coming and going.

That was odd, but she laid it aside. The people here were strange, probably because they were youkai and not people, and she wasn't about to question their ways.

"Did you see the prince go by, dog?" She asked her fuzzy companion who simply stared back at her in reply.

"Yeah, I thought not."

* * *

Hehe, hey there again everyone! V-chan would like to apologize for a spelling error that was found by anonymous reviewer 'Ren.' I spelled the name of Inuyasha's mother, 'Izayoi,' wrong. I wasn't sure of how to correctly spell her name when I wrote the chapter and was too lazy to go and figure it out. **nervous laughter** Thanks for pointing that out Ren!

Thanks to everyone else who has lent me tips for writing in the past as well!

I'd like to apologize for the long wait for an update and the rather short chapter. When finals came up and I had projects due for the end of the year, I forced myself not to work on my fanfictions so I could focus on school. This caused a lapse of 2-3 weeks with little to no writing at all and now i'm seriously behind on updates. Gomen nasai minna-san! **bow bow bow**

Thanks again and I'll see you all soon! Enjoy your summer!

Review Please?


	9. Chapter Nine

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Nine – Human_

Rin looked back over her shoulder at the dog that was following so close to her curiously. He was adorable, a beautiful dog and she was very tempted to run her fingers through his fur or latch onto his neck and give him a big hug. She wondered if he smelled bad like the dogs did back in her world. Did youkai even smell bad? She was pretty sure he was a youkai, after all, she hadn't seen any regular people or animals since she had gotten to this world so chances were that he was a demon dog.

But why did a demon look so. . .beautiful and enchanting? He looked like a regular dog except his coat was extra glossy and there were no snarls either, every hair was in it's right place and shifted as his body did. As she thought of this, her mind wandered to the prince again and she felt her cheeks reddening. Shaking her head, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the image of his face out.

She was being absolutely stupid; daydreaming about the prince while she was stuck here, a stranger in a new world that she had never heard of before. If anything, she should be daydreaming about how to get herself out of this pickle!

Sighing heavily, Rin leaned against a beam idly. The dog sat near her, but when she moved to pat his head he stepped away and sat farther off. Rin wrinkled her nose at him, disgruntled more with herself than with the dog. "Fine, be that way," she grumbled disdainfully and folded her arms over her chest.

A noise drifted toward her, but she paid it no mind, too irritated with herself and her companion to notice it until it was nearly on top of her. Someone's feet slamming hard against the wooden floors, tearing down the hallway from the direction she was headed in.

Someone was coming! Rin panicked, wasting what little time there was left before she was discovered. Not that there was any time at all for her to run and hide now, for she had already been spotted by the person running.

She was young, younger than Rin even, Rin guessed she was maybe eleven or twelve. Rin could tell the young girl dressed in a traditional yukata was a youkai simply from the ears on top of her head and the bushy tail that waved back and forth as she ran. Her hair was a light sandy-brown and her eyes were dark brown.

Their eyes met and locked, the girl didn't even glance at the dog in her path as she approached and slowed until she was standing only a few feet away from Rin, the two staring at each other as if they had never seen another person before.

Rin felt her lips part to let out a shallow breath. She felt confused thoughts run through her mind in a panic as she hurriedly tried to figure out what she should do now. She had been discovered! Or had she…? Yes, that was right, there was no guarantee that the youkai girl knew who she was, even if she was a youkai. There was still a chance, wasn't there?

"Uh, hello," Rin was able to say after a swift thought and bowed jerkily at the girl.

She bowed her head in acknowledgement and studied Rin carefully; Rin was fascinated with the twisting and turning of her large, furry youkai ears. "Good day," the girl replied in an easier tone.

She was suspicious, Rin could tell, but she wasn't sure yet of what Rin was or what she was doing.

"Ah- I'm sorry, you must be in a hurry," Rin said, stepping as far out of the girl's way as she could.

Obviously just remembering that she had somewhere to go, the girl's eyes widened in shock and she took a quick step forward before stopping and looking at Rin curiously again. Her ears swiveled as her brows knitted together. "What's your name?" she asked Rin curiously.

"Ah, uhm," Rin fumbled for a name, any name at all, ". . .Ritsuko."

"Ritsuko-san…?" the girl tried it out thoughtfully before starting off swiftly down the hallway. "I must be going, Ritsuko-san, good bye!"

Rin waved a hand at her retreating form relieved that she had not been found out. Or had she? She wasn't sure, the girl had accepted her name almost in a childishly trusting way, and she knew that not even a girl of eleven would fall for one of her flat-out lies. It had been so obvious too, what with her jerky speech, shifty eyes, stalled responses and strange clothes! Surely the girl had not-?

Rin looked to her canine companion thoughtfully. "What do you think, huh?"

The dog made a sound in the back of its throat that was half-growl half-bark in response. Rin took that as some sort of agreement and let out a sigh before taking off down the opposite hallway, fleeing as fast as she could.

* * *

Rin was soon out of breath, not being in the best of physical shape, and looked enviously at the dog that was loping along side of her effortlessly. He didn't look like he was enjoying himself, showing off that he so easily surpassed her in speed and endurance while rubbing it in by holding back to match her straggling pace. He was calm and had switched his gaze from her to whatever lay directly ahead. His proud muzzle held high with a sort of royal elegance as he bounded beside her. His footfalls, which should have been heavy for a dog his size, were noiseless, as if his every movement were muffled by some other force. Rin looked at his ethereal form with wide eyes for a moment, wanting to keep the image burned in her memory for later use in a drawing. Her eyes followed every movement of every muscle, studied the flow of every hair, the depth and color of his eyes until she was sure that she would remember exactly how the dog appeared as he ran.

Chest heaving with gasps for breath; Rin wiped sweat from her brow, but did not allow herself to slow very much. She was determined not to get caught yet, there was still far too much to see. They could catch her later if they wanted, but not now.

Suddenly suspicious, she glanced at the dog. Why had he started following her anyway, and why was he _still _following her? She had to admit it was nice having someone with her, even if he was a youkai dog, but she was suspicious of him nonetheless.

"Hmm," she mumbled leaning sideways to get a better look at him. Why did she keep having this feeling that she knew the dog from somewhere too? It was simply too weird, and too much of coincidence that she had met up with him at such a time.

He didn't react, walking lazily alongside of her, acting oblivious to her keen stare, though she knew he was very well aware of what she was doing.

She could think of nothing though, and turned back away with a sigh, folding her hands behind her back and looking up at the wooden ceiling of the building.

Everything here was so foreign and yet felt so much like home at the same time; it was a strange feeling of peace and tranquility that Rin was not used to. Even the air was different here! It was so much fresher, so much cooler, so much more alive! Not even when she had gone camping in the wilderness with her family had the air been so. . .clean feeling. And the trees, they were covered in a kind of lichen that Rin had learned showed where air was the cleanest from root to leaf-stem. She could smell the scent of fresh cool water flowing not far away, and it was such a good feeling that she could nearly taste it as well. Despite herself, she smiled.

She liked this place; she liked it a lot. She could call this place home if she really wanted, she could stay here, couldn't she?

Her family's faces appeared almost immediately in front of her eyes, echoing in the deepest reaches of her mind and heart came an aching sadness and longing that mingled painfully with the sweet happiness that had filled that space not but a few moments before.

No, she couldn't stay here. This was a dream come true, the handsome prince, the nice people, the beautiful scenery, but dreams were just that, dreams. She would have to wake up sometime, no matter how much it hurt to face the blinding reality. She would have to learn to live with it, she knew that. For far too long she had been sleeping in her childish dreams, and in that time she had grown outwardly so that she was now what people would call an 'adult.' She had responsibilities now, responsibilities that would require her to shed her childhood and take off into the real world.

The horrible thing was that Rin was quite aware that she was still living as a child when technically she was an adult and yet did not wish to alter herself. She was not oblivious to her duties as a "young Lady" now, but she liked her quiet little world, even if it was lonely. She liked writing, and drawing, and reading and everything else that she did when she was alone. Having someone else near her would only disrupt the gentle rhythm she had worked so hard to create and maintain through the years. Likewise having someone who was _not_ her, and yet still her somehow suddenly appear would throw everything out of whack. Just the thought of "growing-up," of letting herself change to suit the vision of those around her, of becoming someone she was not just to appease others made her cringe. She was frightened, yes, frightened, of growing-up. She was frightened of the changes that were sometimes demanded and that sometimes happened naturally. They scared her more than even the foreign world around her and she refused stubbornly to ever let go of her childhood.

She knew it was silly, maybe even bull-headed and stupid of her to be so selfish, but she didn't care. She hoped - even though she knew this too was silly - that somehow she could live in her quiet world, unchanging, even as she performed the duties of a young woman in her time. Treading a thin line between fantasy and reality.

Shaking herself from her sad reverie, she looked back at the dog again, which had been watching her thoughtfully when her eyes had glazed in deep thought and her pace had slowed significantly.

"Do you have a name?" Rin asked thoughtfully, trying to get her mind off of her own troubles and her family. It was stupid to worry about things like that right now, there was simply nothing she could do and to worry like that would make her forehead all wrinkly like that Jaken-youkai.

The dog's ears perked forward, and Rin took that as a 'no.' "Well, if you're going to be following me around, you had better have a name so that I know what to call you. Calling you 'dog' is…weird."

The dog continued to stare straight ahead as she went into deep thought, wondering what name would be easiest for the youkai-dog to remember when he was called.

"How about…Inuzuki? You like that one?" she asked hopefully, but there was no reply. The dog kept walking along beside her silently.

"Ok," she said. "How about Takashi then?"

Takashi was the name of a boy in her class; it was a popular and rather ordinary name for a boy, even though she had never seen many dogs with the name. The reply was the same as all the others before it. The dog acted as if he didn't hear a word she said, not even his gaze flickered from their position staring straight ahead.

"Akito? Hiroshi? Taro?" she ran off the names, ticking them off on her fingers as well.

Every name she could think of, though, met with the same response from the dog. She was beginning to grow annoyed and wondered if she should just pick a name and stick with it despite his qualms.

After some time of thought to her self, Rin decided that the best name she could come up with for the dog was 'Jiro.' She wasn't sure there were many dogs in her world with that name either; but then again, she wasn't in her world any longer so it really didn't matter.

"I think I'll call you 'Jiro,'" she informed him, musing to herself somewhat at the same time. "You kind of look like a Jiro to me anyway. So, do you like your new name, Jiro?"

She grinned softly and turned to look down at the mighty white dog only to find that he was no longer beside her. Startled, she stopped in mid-step and turned every which way in frenzy, her long hair flying crazily about her head. "Jiro?"

There was no reply; not even a tuft of white fur was seen. When had he gone, so suddenly and quietly? Surely she would have seen the dogs movements out of the corner of her eye? Panic gripped her, fearing for her new friend and herself at the same time. Her legs froze up immediately as she clutched at her heart with one clammy hand, thinking rapidly.

What if he was really spying on her and had gone back to report on her now? Why now though, she hadn't gotten into anything dangerous, had she?

Looking about, she saw that in her musings from before, she had not noticed that the walls had closed back in and there was no sign of the gardens from before at all any longer. So it wasn't likely he had taken off after a stray squirrel or rabbit and was running in the grass somewhere either.

"Jiro!" she called loudly, no longer caring if she was heard. Besides, she had only seen a few people in this whole castle while she had been out, so what were the chances that she would be heard? "Jiro!"

Still there was no reply, not even a bark or whimper. Her mind was blank, she couldn't figure out what to do. Stay and find her companion, go on casually, or flee like the hounds of hell were at her heels.

Quickly she settled for the second choice, since neither the first nor the second made much sense. She had only just met Jiro; she couldn't expect him to stay with her the entire time, so why should she search for him now? And the thought of fleeing over such a small thing made her feel like a coward. She pictured a frightened, quivering rabbit in her head as she thought it over. Yes, she was definitely a rabbit.

A little jittery and confused, she forced herself to calm. It was silly over-reacting like that over something like the dog disappearing so suddenly. Yes, it was strange and maybe the call for alarm, but she shouldn't act so rashly all the time. She made a mental note to fix that problem as soon as possible.

It wasn't long before she heard some noise up ahead. It was muffled and distant, so she didn't stop right away, nor did she change course when she came to a fork in the road. Instead she felt drawn to the voices she heard and curiously continued in their direction, wondering what she would find up ahead. Maybe this was where everyone was at then! No wonder she hadn't seen very many people around before! They were all in this one area. Or so she guessed from the volume and mixed pitches of voices streaming down the hallways. What kind of gathering would this be though?

Poking her head around a corner, she could see a crowd of what looked to be servants up ahead. Some were doing washing and others had big baskets of things beside them. They all appeared to be women and children with a few men mixed in here and there. She wasn't close enough to get a good look at them though and crept forward carefully, hoping she wouldn't be seen.

* * *

Hm, well, sorry for the late update. My account was suspended due to a change in rules that were never placed in the guidlines. (Or at least as far asI can see.) Anyway, as a result all my songfics have been deleted and I would like to inform everyone that if they are still interested in reading them, that they can find them at my account which can be found in my profile.

Some of you have been asking if Rin-chan will find out about Sessh-kun being the dog. Hehe...well...she will find out, but not until later. As you can say, she does suspect something, but she's still unsure about whether Sesshou is just a dog or something else. Hehe, sorry tot hose of you that are looking for an early transformation, but that's not how I've planned it.

In other news, summer is going well and I'm hoping to get another chapter out soon. Hope you all are having a great time, wherever you are out there! Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	10. Chapter Ten

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Ten – Friend_

Rin stuck her head cautiously around the corner, peering at the congregation of youkai servants with intense curiosity. This was her dream come true! She tried to keep herself from smiling, but she couldn't help her glee at seeing them. Alive! Real! Grandfather had always told her that they were, but no one else had believed, and yet here they were standing before her as alive as she herself was! It was simply amazing! But where were all the humans?

"Boo."

Rin nearly jumped out of her skin, her pulse skyrocketed as she heard an amused laugh ring in her ears when she jumped hurriedly away. Unfortunately, her sudden movement had caught the eye of several of the youkai servants and they stared at her with a mixture of curiosity and shock. Rin, however, took no notice of their stares as she grasped at her pounding heart, gasping for breath.

There before her stood her supposed attacker: the girl with the fox ears and tail. Rin hadn't even heard her coming! She grinned triumphantly at Rin, hands on her hips, her fangs glistening as she tried to stop herself from smiling.

"Got'cha," she said and stepped forward, curiously bending and poking her head forward at Rin in a very animal-like manner. "I knew you had to be a human, you don't smell like any demon I've ever seen. Hey! You're that human girl that Sesshoumaru-dono caught out in the forest, aren't ya?"

Rin panicked. She had been discovered! What to do now? She knew she couldn't outrun them, and besides, where would she run? The fox-eared girl was blocking her path in one direction and in the other a group of servants had detached to come forth and investigate. Her face turned bright red in anxious embarrassment, she fidgeted uneasily, not sure which way to go.

"I- uh- well," she spluttered as she hurriedly pulled herself back together. "I think I'm lost," she lied.

This made the girl cease her chatter immediately and she peered forward, sniffing at Rin thoughtfully in that animal-like way that she had before. "Lost?" She repeated, confused by this idea.

The small group of youkai servants had stopped not too far away and were curiously looking from one to the other. After a moment, a short, pudgy woman elbowed her way through and gave those around her a stern glance before starting forward. She had thick black hair that had been pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck; a handkerchief was wrapped around her head to keep any loose strands from blowing in her face. Her eyes were a deep brown, her ears were pointed sharply and her kimono was a bright orange. She had rolled the long sleeves up so that they would not be in the way while she worked; however, this exposed her large, chubby arms that jiggled whenever she moved them. She reminded Rin of a beastly mother of one of the kids in her class that was always causing trouble for the teachers.

"What's all this I hear about someone being lost?" She asked, she had the air of being someone important. Rin flushed a deeper red than could be thought possible as she realized that she would have to lie again.

"Oh- uh, that was me," Rin said, giving her a bashful smile. "I went out for a walk and I don't know my way around so…" she dropped off when she saw the woman leaning toward her, wrinkling her nose as she scrutinized the young human.

"She's a human, Mizu-san!" The fox-eared girl finally exploded, smiling excitedly.

Mizu straightened and leveled the overly happy girl with a stern glare. She sniffed, crossing her stubby arms over her chest in an official-like manner. "I can see that, Koto-chan, thank you," she said.

Koto's ears and smile both fell, she looked disheartened, but it was only for a moment. She was immediately smiling again when Mizu turned to question Rin again.

"So, you're that human girl, are you?" Mizu questioned. Rin opened her mouth to speak, but the portly woman carried on without waiting for an answer from her. "Well, I should say that you shouldn't be wanderin' about out here, could be dangerous for someone like you."

"Aw, c'mon Mizu-san, since when is it dangerous to walk around the castle?" A young youkai man asked, placing a furry, clawed hand on her shoulder and smiling.

The man was tall, at least twice the size of Mizu, and he was covered all over in dark brown fur with tan spots showing through in places. His face was curiously pointed like a dog's and he had a scruffy mane of thick brown hair on the top of his head. His ears were like those of dogs, pointed sharply and turning toward every noise they could pick up. He looked calm and peaceful, with a handsome face despite his dog-ish looks.

Mizu jerked her shoulder so that his hand no longer rested there and huffed at him angrily. It was apparent that things like this happened rather often; Rin wondered if Mizu was really in charge or if she just liked to boss people around.

"Well maybe not for someone like you, Omachi-kun, but she's just a human," Mizu cried, suddenly defensive.

Omachi laughed loudly, prompting laughs from the others gathered around them. "You worry too much, Mizu-san, I think she's fine," he looked up at Rin suddenly and gave her a warm smile. Rin smiled back more out of habit than out of actual happiness.

"So, you're the human everyone's talking about so much," he said, looking her over approvingly. Rin fidgeted again, she felt like she was under a microscope. "What's your name?"

"H-Higurashi…Higurashi Rin," Rin replied after a moment's awkward thought. It was as if her mind could draw nothing but blanks in front of all these eyes, she was quickly loosing all of her confidence and falling into deep silence. Her reply had been in a small, quiet tone that she knew must be hardly discernible. She hated situations like this; she always lost her nerve so easily and ended up looking like an idiot. Why couldn't she be more confident like her sister?

There was a round of awed murmurs at her name. Rin was at first confused by the whispers and fidgeted uneasily again. Omachi grinned wider and Koto looked absolutely ecstatic while Mizu huffed at the general excitement, turning up her nose in derision.

"So, you must be a Nobleman's daughter, then," Koto said, her hands clasped in sheer awe.

Rin fidgeted again, making a face at this awkward reception. She wasn't used to all this attention. "Uh, well, no, not really. My family is pretty normal," she replied.

"But you have two names, so you must be important," Koto protested, not at all hindered by Rin's doubtful reply.

"Yes, only Noble's have last names," Omachi added, the crowd of youkai behind him nodded and murmured their agreement.

"I-I'm not a Noble though," Rin said, her tongue slipping up again in her embarrassment. "Really, where I come from everyone has a last name. Last names don't mean anything really in my world. Er, well, the place where I live that is."

"If you say so, Higurashi-sama, but to us you are a Noble," he replied, smiling good-humoredly at her nervous jittering.

"Oh please, don't call me 'Higurashi-sama,' Omachi-san, really, it's not that big of a deal," Rin waved her hands as she spoke and shook her head twice. It was strange that these creatures so much more powerful than her would give her such an honorific.

Omachi and the others simply grinned and chuckled at her before heading back toward the larger group of demon servants still working or watching in silent curiosity. Omachi patted her on the head gently and Koto grabbed her hand, pulling her after them excitedly. She immediately began to introduce herself and name all of the youkai around them; Mizu scolded Koto for yanking Rin around so, but Rin wasn't paying attention to either of them. She had fallen back into her own little world, staring back at the youkai she was passing with the same curiosity that they were watching her with.

They were many different shapes and sizes; there were some that looked almost exactly like animals and others that looked human. The only flaw in the more human-looking youkai was that their ears were still pointed and their eyes were all strange colors. Rin didn't mind much though; she actually liked the beautiful shades of purple, red and gold that were the youkai's natural eye color. It was something totally different from what she was used to, and seeing their exotic hair colors was nice as well. It was hard to imagine that anyone's hair and eyes could be those colors naturally. Sure she was used to people dying their hair, but the natural shades were so much better.

Finding her voice, she drew the courage to murmur a question to Koto, who was still dragging her along cheerfully. "E-excuse me, I don't mean to be a bother or anything, but uh- are there…well, are there any others like me here?"

She wasn't sure how the question would be received by the young youkai-girl; she need not have worried though for Koto only gave her a sad shake of her head. "No, the humans were not allowed to follow us here, that's why it is so strange for you to be here. Oh how wonderful to see a human again! I haven't seen one since I was a little kit; tell me- is the war still going on out there?"

Koto squeezed Rin's hands as she looked on with wide-eyed curiosity, awaiting an answer from the stumped teen. The small group of youkai had stopped and Koto was pulling her into a sitting position, their legs draped under the wooden banister on an uncovered balcony that looked out over a dense forest.

"War?" Rin fumbled to try and gain her wits, the realization that she was the only one of her kind in this land was startling and left her wondering why they had not allowed the humans to 'follow them to this place.'

"Yes, when last there was a human here, she informed us that there was a terrible war starting between many countries in your world. The shogun from 'America' was supposedly going to enter into the war when she was pulled into our world. Is that war still waging?" Koto clasped Rin's hands tighter, she seemed desperately interested.

"Well- uh- oh! You must be talking about World War Two," Rin had been thinking back over her world history and couldn't think of any other war that Koto might be referring to. "Yeah, that war ended years and years ago. There aren't that many people left alive that fought in that war, all of the- er- 'shoguns' died a long time ago."

Koto smiled, obviously relieved, and sat back, releasing Rin's hands. "I knew it couldn't last very long, not like the Sengoku, at least. It's good to know that you humans haven't completely wiped each other out yet."

Rin gave a short, embarrassed laugh, not quite sure how to react to Koto's nature. She seemed desperately interested in anything that had to do with humans and it was a bit, well, scary.

"It would seem that you are very interested in humans," Rin said, trying to keep up a conversation.

"Of course! Aren't you? Well, no, I guess you're not since you see them every day and well, you _are_ one, lucky you. It must be strange not to be able to sense everything that a youkai can and yet still your species has survived for so long! Not only that, but you live such short lives for such intriguing creatures, it really isn't fair at all. I suppose I really am just fascinated with humans because…well, because they're not around anymore." Koto continued on, musing to herself about humans and demons and their differences.

"Oh, uh, heheh, thanks…I guess…" Rin continued giving Koto a strange, lop-sided smile. She wasn't sure if she should be angry or happy with the demon's strange words. If nothing else she was most definitely embarrassed for it seemed that Koto had gone off into her own world, forgetting that Rin was even there any longer.

Casting her eyes aside, Rin was surprised to see a cluster of young demon children standing by the nearest post, obviously trying to watch her without being seen. Innocently they skidded away when they met her eyes, whispering and murmuring in wonder, not quite sure what to make of this new creature in their midst. Rin smiled at the children, they were so cute and they reminded her of her younger brother, Souta, when he had still been small.

The four demon children started at her warm smile, murmuring amongst themselves again before they pushed one of their ranks toward her. The chubby little boy stumbled forward, attempting to stop himself before getting too close to the human girl. Rin continued to smile curiously as he backed up, looked over his shoulder at his friends and then slowly crept forward. When he was about five feet away, Rin gently held out her hand, giving him a warm, inviting smile.

"Hello there, I'm Rin, what's your name?" She asked as kindly as she could, though her face was red because she knew there were eyes on her.

The children looked at her, unsure, the chubby little boy had stepped back several paces, eyeing her hand as if it might be some poisonous object. His nose twitched and his tiny, rounded-ears on the top of his head twitched as he investigated and then slowly took her hand, looking it over for some sign of a treat hidden in it. Rin giggled at him as he made a sour face of disappointment and abandoned her, running back to his friends to report his findings.

Those that were looking on chuckled and turned back to their work with content smiles. Rin felt somehow as if she had proven herself and flushed in embarrassment as she pulled back away again, folding her hands in her lap and bowing her head.

"Don't mind them, they're just a bunch of fat brats anyway," a child's voice assured her in a grumpy tone.

Rin looked up, startled that so many people were speaking to her so freely when she herself could hardly gain the courage to start a conversation with someone she didn't know. He looked about seven years old; his hair was a dark reddish-brown and was as messy as a rat's nest. His eyes were a dull golden color and he had cast them aside, glaring at the company of toddlers. Rin tried to give him an understanding smile, but only ended up with the lop-sided, unsure smile she seemed to wear so often.

"Oh, it's fine, I don't mind at all. No harm done, and they're very cute."

The boy's eyes snapped toward her, narrowing as he focused on her face, scrutinizing her. He seemed to be trying to tell if Rin was lying or not, for his nose and forehead were wrinkled in what Rin recognized as disbelief.

"You have to be kidding," he scoffed after a moment. "Those four are complete brats, though I don't blame them for being skeptical of you."

The human girl leaned away, accidentally bumping into Koto as the young mousy-haired boy sniffed at her. Koto seemed to come back from whatever planet she had been visiting and glared when she saw the young boy crouching on all fours like a cat next to Rin.

Koto swiped at him with one of her clawed hands, glaring angrily at him. "Get lost, Takeshi-chan," she snapped at him irritably.

The boy called Takeshi avoided her swipe, hopping back a few paces and growling, bristling angrily at her for attacking him. "Don't call me '-chan,'" he ordered. "And besides, you're the one fraternizing with the enemy! You all are! Despicable, disgusting."

Koto rolled her eyes and several of the other servants looked up, only to turn away again when they saw who was causing all of the ruckus. "It's only Takeshi," they murmured to each other and that seemed to be enough to calm whatever had aroused them from their work.

Rin looked at him in shock, embarrassed as Takeshi went on about how filthy and disgusting humans were. He proclaimed that they were the scum of the earth and that they were not fit to share the same planet as the youkai who were so obviously superior. Koto gave a heavy sigh and pulled on Rin's uniform sleeve. Rin turned toward her and gave a slight laugh when Koto rolled her eyes and motioned for Rin to follow her.

Mizu picked Takeshi up by the scruff of his neck, snapping at him to 'quit his noise-making' while the boy swung fists and legs at her angrily. Rin followed after Koto during this, catching the eye of Omachi, who was laughing at the argument between Mizu and Takeshi. He gave her a nod as she went into a tatami-mat filled room with Koto. Koto closed the shouji doors behind them, though it didn't muffle the noise from outside much. Mizu and Takeshi were really going at it, by the sound of it.

The youkai-girl gave a heavy sigh, rumpling her ears and hair with her hand and shaking her head. "Sorry about that, Takeshi has a mouth on him," she apologized, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, it's ok, really, I'm-"

"Well, we had better get you something better to wear at any rate," Koto cut across her as if Rin had not spoken at all. She thrust open a shouji door to reveal a closet where futons and spare clothes for the servants were kept. She riffled through the clothes, making faces as she held up different outfits, trying to see if anything would fit Rin's petite form.

"What's wrong with my school uniform?" Rin could have hit herself for asking such a question. It wasn't exactly like her skirt was short, unlike the other girls; she had worn her skirt long, the edges reaching to just underneath her knees. It sounded rude anyway and she mentally kicked herself several times for being so ungrateful. Koto was only trying to be helpful and make her more comfortable in this new world after all!

Koto looked her over and Rin blushed, quickly apologizing for her words. "I-I'm sorry Koto-san, I just…I said it before I could stop myself."

Koto shrugged to show she was not offended in the least. "It's understandable that you'd want to keep on your human-clothes, but those look a bit scuffed and dirty from being in the forest. I meant to lend you another outfit until we cleaned that one," Koto gave her a grin as she presented a cute-looking yukata; it was orange with golden rings on it.

Rin changed into the outfit behind a folding screen that was made for just such a purpose. When she came around to show Koto how she looked, she found that the young demon-girl was trying on her school uniform. Rin couldn't help but giggle, Koto looked adorable in the outfit, if not a bit out-of-place with her ears and the bulge on her backside where her tail was.

Koto changed back out with an amused giggle of her own, commencing in asking Rin all about Tokyo again while behind the screen.

"Do you always get to wear outfits like that, Rin-sama?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, but they're just for school. It's required for all girls to wear the sailor fukus, boys have a similar uniform. And please don't called me '-sama,'" Rin added sheepishly.

"Only if you don't call me '-san,'" Koto agreed with a grin.

"It's a deal then, Koto-chan. Ah! Do you mind if I ask what kind of youkai you are?" Rin felt embarrassed asking such a question, for it was obvious that Koto was a kitsune, but she didn't want to make a mistake and offend her.

"What kind of demon I-? Oh! I'm a kitsune, what kind of human are you?" Koto seemed sure that there were different kinds of humans as well.

Rin blanked for a minute, then giggled to herself as she realized what her new friend was asking for. "I'm Japanese," she replied. It wasn't like Koto being a kitsune, but it was close enough.

"Amazing, another Japanese human!" Koto cried happily, grinning from ear to ear. "Are there many of your kind left?"

Rin tried not to laugh at Koto again; Koto didn't know anything about her world, so it would be rude to laugh at her for being so inquisitive. "Oh yes, there's many of us left."

Koto seemed to find that even better news than the fact that Rin was Japanese. Her tail wagged excitedly as she led Rin back out of the room and around the crowd of servants that were chatting happily. Many cast her curious looks, but she ignored them, too engrossed in conversation with Koto to notice anyone staring at them.

* * *

Gomen nasai! I meant to update this so much sooner, but my summer has gone by crazily fast and i never seem to ahve enough time to just sit down and write. Gah!

With the appearance of so many new OC's, I might be adding character profiles after the chapters, if only to keep the characters straight. Heh, fun, ne?

Thanks to my reviewers, I appreciate your support so much and your patience with my continually irregular updates. Heh, I'll try to get another chapter out soon, but school is starting for me soon and I'm not sure how my computer/writing situation will come out.

Well, see you all soon and thanks again! Enjoy!

Review Please?


	11. Chapter Eleven

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Eleven – Inquiry_

Koto walked with Rin backed to the room she had been staying in when the sun began to set. Rin was hungry by that time, and was beginning to have dizzy spells. She knew it wasn't good to let herself go hungry for so long, but she was apprehensive about how to go about getting something to eat. She hadn't seen anyone eating all day and she was beginning to wonder if youkai ate as often as humans did. When a particularly harsh grumble from her stomach was heard, Koto grinned at her in a knowing manner and tugged her toward a side hallway sharply.

"W-where are we going?" Rin stammered as her new friend jerked her about. Koto was quirky, a bit human-obsessed and kind of on the strange side, but Rin liked to have a friend.

"You're hungry aren't you? Come on, the kitchen is this way," Koto gave her a toothy grin before picking up the pace, forcing Rin to follow after her as she gripped the humans frail wrist.

Rin was silent, though she wanted to protest. She knew she needed to eat, but she didn't want to impose on Inutaishou and the others. She knew she was nothing but a burden, after all, what good was she, especially in this world? She didn't know how to cook very well, and she didn't have the energy required for cleaning. The only things she could do were read, write and fold clothes. She couldn't even wash clothes correctly, and even if she could, she wouldn't be any good at working in this world. They seemed not to advanced very far, and Rin already knew that she was no use when it came to jobs that required brawn. She had good grades in Physical Education, but those were only for effort.

Koto tugged her into the kitchen where several servants were working on preparing something that smelled delicious. Rin felt her stomach grumble at the smell and she blushed when Koto sent her another knowing grin.

"Kai-san!" she called, waving the hand that wasn't holding onto Rin's and smiling excitedly at a wild looking, red-haired woman with a large, bushy tail. The ears on the side of her head perked up and she turned about. Her eyes were naturally narrow, making her look eternally disgruntled and her hair was bushy and untidy. She put her clawed hands on her hips when she saw Koto's bright, smiling face and two fangs stuck out from under her top lip as she rolled her eyes.

Koto ran over, dragging Rin after her and continued to beam at the older woman. "Kai-san!" she greeted again. Rin was nervous and withdrew into herself again as her embarrassment grew.

"Koto? What do you want, free-loading again? And who's this?" Kai pointed a dangerous looking knife at Rin; Rin's eyes darted from the knife to Kai apprehensively. She got the idea that Koto and she weren't supposed to be there. She opened her mouth to speak, but choked, her voice wouldn't come out again! She was only mildly frightened of Kai and that was only because she was pointing a knife at her, but she still knew she should be able to speak like a regular person. If only she didn't have these intense anxiety attacks she'd be able to speak!

"I-I'm Higurashi Rin, ma'am," she managed to spit out, bowing deeply. She closed her eyes when she looked at the floor, feeling intensely embarrassed. Why did she have to be so strange? Everyone must think she was an idiot…

Kai paused for a moment before bursting out laughing, she patted her knee as she bent in the middle, and it looked as if there were tears in her eyes. She rubbed them away, still laughing when she straightened up again. Rin had peered up at her, her blush fading momentarily in her confusion. Why was this youkai laughing so much?

"Hoo, that was a good one, 'ma'am,'" Kai chuckled again, patting Rin on the head with a wide smile. "So you're Higurashi, eh? Judging by your scent, you must be that human that Sesshoumaru found."

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's Sesshoumaru_-sama_, Kai! Get back to work!" A male voice shouted over the bustle in the kitchen.

Kai sniffed indignantly, her upper-lip curled to show her sharp canines, barred in anger. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear ya!" She grumbled, but didn't make a move as if to do what the voice had ordered her to.

"Yeah, isn't it great Kai-san!" Koto broke in, ignoring the commanding voice as well. She was back into her obsessive mode and words spilled from her mouth readily. "She's from Japan, too, just like Izayoi-san! It's so amazing! She wears this really weird outfit too, she says that it's called a 'sailor fuku,' and all of the girl's at her school have to wear one. That's another thing! Human women are allowed to be educated still! And they can go to the same school as boys if they please now! That's just so weird, don't you think, Kai-san?"

Kai was watching the babbling kitsune-girl with one raised eyebrow, her hands on her hips again. Koto had her hands clasped together again in that passionate way Rin had already grown used to. Her giant smile did not falter as Kai continued to stare at her as if she had grown two heads.

"Well, you should be careful of telling her too much," Kai informed Rin in a dull manner. "Her head'll explode the next time, either that or her lips will catch on fire." She grinned at the look of concern that crossed Rin's face. Did the girl really think such things happened?

Koto didn't seem to have heard her; she was still beaming pleasantly, obviously lost in her own little world at the time. Kai snickered and turned about, getting back to work on whatever she had been preparing before. "So, what are you two here for anyway?" she asked over her shoulder, obviously in good humor now.

"Uh, well," Rin began, not sure how to put it. She really didn't want to bother them, everyone looked so busy and several of the cooks looked disgruntled that they were present. Koto once again cut across her though, Rin started to wonder if Koto did it purposefully to stop her from getting into an embarrassing situation by blabbering something stupid.

"Higurashi-san is hungry," Koto piped up cheerfully.

Kai wheeled about, placing her face mere inches away from Koto's, her good humor instantly gone again. "I knew it! You're free-loadin' again! There's no way you'd stop by just to say 'hello,'" the youkai huffed and turned back away, fuming.

Rin thought she had done something wrong again and was just working up the courage to apologize to Kai when the said woman jerked one clawed finger toward what Rin thought to be a pantry. "There are dishes in there, hurry up, before someone notices," she grumbled under her breath at them.

Koto beamed again and dashed off, looking back at Rin earnestly, urging her to move along as well. Rin glanced at Kai's back for a moment before striding off after her friend.

"Are you sure this is ok?" she whispered to Koto as she searched the store-room for anything that might be considered a plate.

"Yeah, Kai-san gives me food all the time. We're lucky, tonight Inutaishou-sama himself is dining, so we'll have the best meal yet!" she seemed quite excited, but Rin felt a squirming apprehension grow in her stomach. Koto seemed fine with it, even if it was Inutaishou's food that they were more-or-less stealing, but Rin didn't want to offend Inutaishou, much less get Kai in trouble.

"But won't she get in trouble if someone finds out?"

Koto looked at her, raising her eyebrows in the strange way that Kai had done but moments before. "And whose gonna care if we have just a little bit of whatever Inutaishou-sama is eating tonight? Besides, it wouldn't be like Inutaishou-sama to get upset over a bowl of beef stew or a bowl of rice. And he needs to nourish you if you want to stay alive, so there ya go."

With that said, Koto pressed a ceramic bowl and chosticks into Rin's hands and headed back out the door, the human girl trailing behind her and looking troubled.

Kai filled their bowls and sniffed at Koto's bright, beaming smile. "Just don't expect anything next time, I'm only letting it pass this time because you got her with you," she jerked her head toward Rin who blushed and bowed deeply, making sure not to spill her food.

"A-arigatou, ma'am, I appreciate it," Rin inclined her head in goodbye as she noticed that Koto was already leaving without her. Kai watched them go until they had turned the corner, chuckling to herself again at Rin's polite tone.

* * *

Koto led her to a small garden that smelled very nice in the twilight hours and sat down on the wooden deck, stretching her legs under the rail and her arms over the top, holding her bowl of beef stew and rice. She munched happily, watching Rin carefully as the human copied her position, finding it hard to use chopsticks in the awkward position that Koto chose. Eventually she became comfortable and tried to control herself from eating too fast. If she weren't careful, she'd make herself sick.

"So, what's your home back in the human world like?" Koto asked, looking out over the garden, her eyes following a long-tailed butterfly that was fluttering about whimsically over a bushel of tall red flowers.

Rin grew still, silently bringing up memories of her home that flashed before her mind's eye swiftly. She felt a lump in her throat and swallowed hard several times to clear it away so that she could speak properly. "Well, I live by this old shrine with my mother, my grandfather, my older sister Kagome and my younger brother Souta. We have a cat named Buyo; Souta's still in middle school, so he doesn't go to the same school as me and Kagome. It's hard to climb all of the steps to get to our house, but its keeps us in shape, I guess, or at least a little bit. Being from a shrine-family, everyone immediately thinks that you're a shrine maiden and all of the boys want to see you dressed up in the priestess robes if they think you're cute," Rin said and blushed when she felt Koto's eyes on her. Had she said too much?

"Oh, uh, sorry, I guess I shouldn't have said that," she mumbled, casting her eyes away in embarrassment.

"There's open affection in the human's world?" Koto asked, ignoring her apology.

"Yes," Rin replied simply, trying to keep herself from becoming embarrassed by the topic.

"Wow, that sure is strange," Koto laid down on her back and stared at the ceiling for some time, obviously musing about something.

Rin was silent, wondering what Koto thought of her world, though she already knew that the kitsune was enamored completely with it. Gathering the courage, she pushed a question through her lips before she could second-guess herself again. "Koto-san…why do you call where I come from the 'human world?'"

Koto looked at her with an isn't-it-obvious look that quickly faded and was replaced by a pondering expression. "Well, it's kind of a long story, but I think I can give a brief summary of what happened, though I was just a kit when that all came about..."

She dropped off for a moment in thought before clearing her throat and sitting up to face Rin with a nostalgic look on her face.

"Back during the Bakumatsu, when the humans that ruled our country began to advance how we once had lived to mimic that of a foreign culture's, there was a threat to youkai well-being. The old ways died off, humans fought each other to the death deciding which would succeed: these new ways that denied our existence and defied all of our old traditions or the ways we had been living by for centuries and was our beloved heritage. What the humans called 'logic' gained the upper hand eventually and the old traditions began to die off one after the other. Humans stopped believing in us, though we stood right before their eyes, they no longer feared us, though we could easily have killed them all. Our numbers diminished, for we are creatures of magic and magic is in believing and when the humans stopped believing, we stopped being."

Koto sighed and shook her head, the story seemed almost painful for her and Rin was silent, not budging an inch as she waited for the kitsune to pick back up her tale again. "We found it harder and harder to call upon our demon strength and soon there were so few of us left that we knew there was no hope for us if we did not act. Some suggested a rebellion against the humans, but if they all died, then where would we be? We would soon pass into nothingness as well. Inutaishou-sama was Lord of the Western Lands then and with the help of other Lords, they managed to create this shadow-world that you are sitting in now that somehow allows us to exist without the presence of humans. It is both our home and not our home, it exists but then again it cannot truly be in existence. The last of the demons passed into this world and the gateway was sealed so that no human could follow. Thus this place was created, a replica – if you will – of our old stomping grounds. It took some time to adjust to…but…its home."

Koto finished with a smile and swiftly lurched onto her feet, stretching and sighing with pleasure as she picked up the bowls she and Rin had just scraped clean. "Well, no more sad stories right now, come on, you must be tired and we'll have to get these dishes back to Kai-san on the way to the room you're staying in."

Rin hurried after her, protesting that Koto should not have to carry all of the bowls and wondering the entire time why she and this other 'Izayoi' person had been able to pass through into this world when the humans had supposedly been sealed out.

* * *

Koto slipped into the kitchen, leaving Rin to stand by the door, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot in anticipation. Rin was still lost in thought, wondering how in all the world she had been the only human besides Izayoi to ever move between the two plains and enter such a fantastic world. It was her dream come true and yet it didn't seem likely that there was anything special enough about her that she should be the only one in so long to have passed through. She was just a regular school girl after all, and it would seem in this world she was still just a regular school girl. The only thing that made her irregular in this world was that she was human and that was nothing too big, after all, it wasn't like she was stronger than the youkai that lived here.

Koto came back out, smiling broadly and informed Rin that Kai was in a good mood again. "Oh, by the way, Kai is a kitsune too," she added and smiled at the look of surprise on Rin's face.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be nosy or anything," Rin apologized, feeling stupid for being so interested in what kind of demon everyone was. She hadn't even said anything to Koto about it and still her new friend seemed to know what she was thinking. "I was just curious and I don't mean to pry or anything."

Her friend gave her a blank look for a moment, studying the human's expression closely, making Rin blush all the more. "You sure do apologize a lot," Koto mused to herself and Rin felt a twinge of shame hit her.

"I'm sorry," she replied softly, not sure exactly what she was sorry for. It just seemed like the right thing to say…

"What are you sorry for?" Koto was smiling at her. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Higurashi-san."

"Well- I- uh," Rin stumbled for an answer, spluttering again and feeling like a fool. Koto must think of her as a complete idiot, babbling and stuttering like she always was. Damn her inability to keep her head in situations like these!

Koto grinned as Rin gave up with a sigh, heaving her shoulders and lowering her head in dismay. "I'm sorry," she repeated again.

A burst of laughter hit her ears and Rin looked up, startled, to see Koto giggling madly at her, holding her stomach and trying as hard as she could not to stumble to the ground as she walked along. Rin fidgeted again, wondering why everyone here seemed to find her words so humorous.

"Hoo, hee, I'm sorry Higurashi-san, but," Koto broke into another fit of giggles before she could finish. "But- but it's just so strange to hear someone apologize so much."

Rin flushed but soon found it funny as well and laughed along with Koto, finding it easier to laugh now somehow. "It is strange," she agreed with a helpless grin, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "You'll have to ignore me when I do that, I know I apologize too much, but I can't help it, I always feel like I cause trouble."

Koto shook her head, her laughter easing now. "We wouldn't keep you around if you caused trouble, Higurashi-san."

* * *

They finally had reached the room Rin had left hours before; rounding the corner, Koto froze stopping in mid-sentence and looking awe-struck. Rin, who was watching her friend the entire time when they had been talking, raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked forward thoughtfully.

Standing in front of the door was a lone figure, outlined in silver by the newly rising moon. Rin felt her face heat up and her heart jump in her chest as she recognized Sesshoumaru. Was she in trouble?

Koto bowed deeply as he walked toward them silently, his emotionless eyes fixed on Rin. "Hello, Sesshoumaru-sama," Koto said as he passed; Sesshoumaru paid her no mind.

"You have been gone a long time," he said blandly, speaking to Rin.

Rin cast her eyes aside, she didn't trust herself to meet his gaze. She would end up smiling dumbly and making some stupid sugarcoated excuse if she did. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to see what the castle was like, I didn't mean to cause any trouble," she replied softly.

He seemed to find this a suitable answer; his head inclined some, but it was hardly distinguishable.

In the silence that followed, Koto shifted and began to move away, back down the hallway that she and Rin had just come from. "If you'll excuse me, Sesshoumaru-sama, I must get back to work now," she said and was gone. Rin felt temporarily betrayed, the least Koto could have done was see that she got into her room all right.

Rin trusted Sesshoumaru, after all, he had brought her from the forest to the castle when she had passed out, but he was so enigmatic that she wasn't sure how to act around him. She didn't dare shift under his intense golden gaze, though she was highly uncomfortable with him staring at her like that. What was he thinking behind that unmoving mask that he wore? Did he feel anything at all?

They stood there in the hallway silently for what seemed to Rin as years but in actuality was only a few seconds. Sesshoumaru broke the spell of tense silence by gliding by her, his robes fluttering near her as he passed. "You should get some rest now," he advised and was off down the hallway, not a sound was heard from him as he passed.

"O-ok, good night, Sesshoumaru-sama, thank you," she said, bowing in his direction as he left.

Her legs were quaking as she pulled open the shouji door and slipped inside. To her surprise, clothes had been lain out for her near her newly-folded futon. She slipped out of the kimono Koto had lent her and folded it neatly by her school uniform that she had been carrying with her the entire time. Pulling on the new kimono lain out for her, she slipped underneath the covers and pulled them up to her chin, curling into a ball and closing her eyes as she drifted into deep thought.

Why had Sesshoumaru been waiting for her and why was he always so strange like that? She always acted so strangely near him too, not just on the outside in her usual, apologetic-stumbling manner, but on the inside as well something made her heart warm up so much that her cheeks burned. It was weird and she was afraid Sesshoumaru might have noticed. What was she going to do? She had to find a way home; there was no time for silly things like crushes. After all, he wore such a cold mask, what if he was heartless?

* * *

Hello everyone! How are you? Fortunately, I have pulled out another chapter, and a rather long one as well, to keep everyone occupied whilest I am away at school. I have been forbidden computer-usage during the week due to homework, so that severely cuts into my writing schedule. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain a steady flow of work on both ends though. Hope my brain doesn't fry.

Anyway, thanks for your support and your reviews, as always. I'm sorry if the story seems to be moving slow at the moment, but I believe that there is a need to let the characters and events take their time in coming along, so that it seems more like real-life and not like I was hopping about from week-to-week madly. Heh, sorry, I'm so particular about everything I do.

Well, I hope to see you all soon. Again, thanks for the reviews and for now I'm signing off! Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	12. Chapter Twelve

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Twelve – Royalty_

Rin woke the next morning to find Jiro sitting by the shouji doors, as coldly attentive as the prince had been the night before. Rin started at the sight of the fluffy white dog in her room. How had he gotten in? The doors were all closed and he hadn't been there the night before, she was sure!

"Jiro?" Rin asked groggily, rubbing at her sleep-encrusted eyes drowsily. She was stiff, the floor was none too comfortable and the traditional pillow she had been laying on left a crick in her neck. She was so used to her western-style bed at home that this traditional bedding left her feeling cramped. "I feel like I was hit by a semi," she grumbled to herself as she scratched her head and yawned widely.

Jiro's ears perked up at her reference to something he did not understand, but his golden eyes remained emotionless.

"So Jiro, what are you doing? How did you get in here anyway, huh?" Rin mused, knowing that there was no way that dog could answer her questions. "You're funny you know that? You abandoned me yesterday right when I was about to meet Omachi-san and Mizu-san and Koto-san and all of those other servants. You could have at least stuck by me for a little bit, couldn't you? …Y'know, Koto-san did the same thing last night. Sesshoumaru-sama was waiting for me outside the room and she ran off and left me alone with him. No, I'm not mad at her, she probably really did have to go somewhere, but I never know how to act around him, not that that's saying much, cuz I don't know how to act around anyone. I'm always so…weird. Like a chicken with its head cut off," Rin rambled on as she got up and stretched.

The dog only seemed to be half-listening; his ears lifted somewhat at the mention of Sesshoumaru.

"He's always so emotionless, y'know Jiro?" Rin continued; she seemed to be more at ease when talking with someone she thought would not reply to her or ask any questions of her. "I wonder sometimes what he's thinking…"

At that moment a voice called to her from beyond the screen door. "Ningen-sama, Inutaishou-sama is coming to see you this morning, please be dressed approprietly."

Rin gave Jiro a startled look and fetched the kimono that Koto had given her. "What do you think, Jiro? Cute, isn't it?" She asked when she turned about only to find that her dog-friend had abandoned her again. Rin huffed, feeling hurt. "Fine, be that way."

Dressing herself neatly, she combed her hair with her fingers only to find that a comb had already been left on a table along with several other things that she did not recognize the uses for. Carefully, she picked the comb up and brushed her hair slowly, making sure not to break any of the delicate teeth, for the comb looked expensive.

There was another knock at the screen door and Rin hurried to open it, only to find the same minister standing outside reverently for her. "Are you ready yet, ningen-sama?"

Rin stepped out of the room, closing the shouji door behind her carefully. "Yes, I'm sorry if I took too long," she apologized and gave a skittish bow only to realize that maybe she wasn't supposed to bow to the minister. She wasn't sure if at the time he was inferior in rank to her or not, but he looked pleased and amused as he motioned for her to follow him down the hallway.

They went in the opposite direction of where Rin had gone the day before, so there was more for her to look at on the way, though much of the castle looked the same. The minister took her into a larger hallway that stretched into a room that widened to show a low traditional table and several mats. She could vaguely see the large form of Inutaishou already seated at the head of the table, watching their approach with a smile of greeting.

There were servants walking about reverently, casting their eyes toward the ground to avoid making contact with their Lord or his honored guest. Rin found this weird and a bit unnerving, but she tried to ignore the feeling of sticking out amongst the crowd as she approached and sat across from Inutaishou after bowing low to acknowledge his superiority.

As she sat, Rin noticed out of the corner of her eye that one of the servants lined along the wall to her right was Koto. Koto was peeking at her curiously and when their eyes met she hastily turned aside, acting as stolid as the other servants once more. Rin was about to say something to her when she noticed that maybe it would be in Koto's best interest if she didn't.

"Ohayou, Inutaishou-sama," she said quietly instead. Her voice was faint because she was so nervous once more.

Inutaishou bowed his head in her direction for a moment and smiled. "Good morning to you too, Rin-san. I am sure that your stay here has been pleasant so far?"

Rin hastened to answer, "Oh-oh yes! Everyone is very hospitable, I appreciate everything, really."

He smiled, amused by her strange manner as he proceeded to eat the breakfast set before him. "We are pleased to have you with us, Rin-san."

Rin gave him an embarrassed grin as she followed suit, picking at the strange dishes set before her thoughtfully. This was definitely different from what she was used to. She didn't often have these kinds of foods set before her at breakfast. There were no pancakes or waffles or toast or anything of that sort. Not even a glass of milk. Not that she had expected there to be, but it was so foreign to her as she looked at it that she wondered if she should request a bowl of cereal just to see their reaction. Well, there was one thing she recognized: eggs. Picking at it, she peeled away the exterior shell to find that it was hard-boiled. Astonished by this, she stared at it for a moment before Inutaishou's knowing smile caught her attention.

"You recognize it? Izayoi taught the cooks how to make a number of strange dishes when she was with us," He said and there was the flash of nostalgia in him again.

Rin felt his sadness flow into her, though she didn't know why. She had been able to sense people's emotions since she was a small child and sometimes it made her brood and keep to herself more than she already did. It was a strange feeling and it troubled her heart that such a nice person should be so saddened.

Instead of asking about Izayoi like she had wanted, she bit into the hard-boiled egg and smile at the delicious taste. It was different from what she was used to and she liked this new taste a lot. "She was a very good cook then, this egg is wonderful," she said as she swallowed and took another bite.

Inutaishou smiled sadly again, his eyes twinkling. "I know."

* * *

The meal progressed well after that; Rin asked nothing about Izayoi - though she was very curious - because she did not want to trouble Inutaishou anymore. She could tell that the human girl that had once been in this place was a hard subject for Inutaishou to handle. Instead she contented herself with telling him odds and ends about things she had not gotten to talk to him about in their last encounter. He was very curious about her school and the governments of her world and she found it embarrassing when she did not always know a sufficient enough answer to give him.

Finally, when the meal had finished and the dishes cleared away, Inutaishou entwined his fingers and gave her a prize-winning smile that made her wonder what he was about to say next.

"Rin-san, a noble from the north who just happens to be a friend of mine is hosting a congregation tonight and I was hoping you would attend along with Sesshoumaru and I. My friend would be very glad to meet you and I'm sure you have been bored with my empty castle." He said casually, making Rin blush in embarrassment.

"Oh-no, I haven't been bored at all," Rin lied. "If you don't mind me asking though…I feel stupid for asking this…what's a, uh, congregation?"

Inutaishou chuckled as she fidgeted in embarrassment, her face a bright red.

"It is…hmm…a gathering in which we talk and listen to some talented singer or musician." Inutaishou described it to the best of his knowledge.

'_Oh, like a party I guess,'_ Rin thought instantly and nodded at Inutaishou to show that she understood his meaning. "I would be happy to come, I hope I won't be a bother or anything," she added hastily, wondering if Inutaishou pitied her and was letting her tag along only out of that pity.

"Of course not, I would not have invited you if I thought you were a nuisance, Rin-san," he replied with another chuckle.

* * *

Rin was overwhelmed by the offer and by the time she had made it back to her room, she was shaking with excitement and nervousness. What was she going to do? This was going to be a party that many upper-class youkai were likely to be at and she was frightened, knowing she would be the only human. She was already a good head or so shorter than most of the full-grown youkai men and women around her, what would it be like at the party? Fidgeting, she forced herself to calm and think things over thoroughly before she let herself totally freak out.

Sesshoumaru was going to be there too, Rin felt a heated flush run over her cheeks but she pushed the thought of him away. He was so cold anyway, he only added to her nervousness, always staring like that, unblinking…Rin sighed, maybe he just didn't like her was all, maybe it was because she was a human or because she was just not interesting. _'I probably made him angry when he found me in the forest like that, and then he had to carry me after I passed out like that,'_ Rin thought to herself and felt more embarrassment weigh on her mind. She hoped she hadn't caused anyone any trouble…

There was a loud banging on the shouji door and Rin flinched back into reality and looked about as shock rippled through her, momentarily freezing her to the spot.

"Girl? Girl, are you in there!" There was a loud squawking from beyond the door followed by a poorly hidden snort of disgust.

Rin recognized the nerve-wracking voice of Jaken and hurried to the door. "Oh yes, I'm here, I'm sorry," she said swiftly as she pulled it open to reveal the squat little servant and her friend Koto. Rin beamed at her and Koto rolled her eyes pointedly at the sour-faced Jaken.

"Hmph, took you long enough, human," the little toad scoffed, receiving an angry glare from Koto and an embarrassed look from Rin.

"I'm sorry, I was day-dreaming and didn't know anyone was looking for me," she apologized again, feeling as if she had done something incredibly wrong.

"Hmph," Jaken snorted at her again and turned about, waddling off down the hallway. "Come on." He grumped.

Rin hurried after him, Koto taking her time, lagging behind to shut the door that Rin had left open in her haste and to glare disgustedly at Jaken's hunched shoulders. She made a snorting noise in the back of her throat as she trotted along, arms crossed; she was muttering to herself.

"Where are we going to, Jaken-san?" Rin asked carefully, knowing he was going to yell at her again. She should have asked Koto, but her friend didn't seem in a very good mood either.

Jaken snorted again. "Where else? We're going to get you some proper clothes to wear tonight. Inutaishou-sama and Sesshoumaru-sama would be disgraced with how you look right now."

Rin flushed and nearly felt Koto's anger raging at his words. Jaken didn't seem to notice their reactions and kept trudging on ahead. Rin wondered what Jaken had against her; how she had made him hate her so much that he would act this way toward her.

Dropping back, Rin walked alongside of Koto, looking at the kimono that her friend had given to her with a sad flicker in her eyes. What was wrong with this kimono? Sure it wasn't as grand as the ones that Sesshoumaru and Inutaishou wore, but she thought it was cute and it fitted her perfectly. Did Inutaishou think the kimono ugly as well? Doubt plagued her mind and her fingers clasped together nervously as they often did when she was struggling with inner emotions.

Koto noticed this and grimaced, glaring back at Jaken with more intensity than before.

"You don't have to be such a toad about everything, Jaken," Koto snapped at him heatedly.

Jaken turned his head to peer at them both with one large, yellow eye. His beak curved down into a frown. "Keep quiet servant, who do you think you're talking to?" he snapped back at her.

Rin grew jittery. She hadn't meant to cause a fight between the two and hurriedly tried to stop them, but only managed to splutter incoherently. "Please, don't fight, I don't mind at all, it's fine," she hastily mumbled, flushing brightly as Jaken and Koto both gave her harsh glares.

"You shouldn't let that toad talk to you like that!" Koto admonished loudly. "He's just saying those things because he thinks it is shameful to associate with humans. You don't have to take any guff from that thing!"

"How dare you speak so lowly of someone above you in rank, child! I should have you beaten for that!" Jaken screeched angrily, hopping up and down and waving his staff in outrage.

"Oh, shut up you googly-eyed old man, I'm not afraid of you!" Koto turned her head back in his direction with a jerk.

The argument between the two lasted the entire trip, Rin soon gave up trying to calm either of them down, though she felt guilty since they were fighting over how she should be treated. Upon arriving two rotund youkai women with smiling faces ushered them into a rather large room filled with many luxurious outfits. Rin felt a bit strange seeing all of the extremely old fashions but quickly grew used to it as she remembered where she was.

The two women - that appeared to be tanuki – hovered near Rin, looking her over carefully and talking to each other in high-pitched voices. Koto was soon called over and the three conversed over what colors would look best on the tiny human girl. Rin flushed under so much scrutiny and felt rather odd as Jaken stood with his back to them all at the door, shifting in irritation.

"She cannot wear purple, it wouldn't match her eyes and anyway it's a color reserved for royalty," one of the two tanuki women muttered, hand on her chin thoughtfully.

"Oh no, I wasn't thinking that either, I was just thinking that dark hair always looks good with a dark shade of people. You're right, the color doesn't match her eyes…such a shame that she had brown eyes…" the other replied in the same muttered tone before scurrying away to a stack of folded outfits.

"I like the orange kimono I gave her," Koto said in a bit of an obstinate way. Rin wondered if she was jealous for a moment, not wanting Rin to be clothed in something that would make her present look inferior.

"Of course you do dear, but that's a servant's kimono and it's not suitable for where our Lord's will be taking her this evening. You don't want the poor thing to look like a servant, do you?" The first tanuki woman soothed as Koto openly seethed.

"I still think it looks fine," she grumbled as the other tanuki ran back over, beaming brightly.

"This one is so darling and I believe it will be just the right size," she said joyously as she held up a beautiful peach-colored kimono with little pink flowers sown in around the edge of the sleeves and around the collar.

Rin loved it immediately and even Koto's bad humor swayed as she saw what was to replace what Rin was currently wearing.

"Isn't it just beautiful?" the tanuki exclaimed, handing it to Rin and pushing her behind a screen set up in one corner of the room.

Rin allowed herself to be shoved behind the screen and then stood there stupidly, unsure what to do until one of the tanuki urged her to strip down and try on the kimono. Rin flushed again but did as they asked, hoping that they could not see her naked outline through the screen as she changed from one kimono to the other.

Stepping out from behind the screen, there was a giggle of delight from the two tanuki women who immediately congratulated each other on picking out such an exquisite kimono. Koto grinned in appreciation, obviously over her minor case of jealousy now.

The women came forward and immediately starting to pull at her long auburn hair with giggles of glee. Confused, Rin just stood there stiffly as Koto came over grinning profusely.

"You'll look so lovely, dear," one of the two tanuki cooed as she combed Rin's hair.

"You'll be the envy of all of the women there," the other giggled as she too began to comb Rin's hair.

"You'll have to forgive Hana and Keiko," Koto whispered to Rin softly. "They tend to get a little excited when they have someone new to dress up."

Koto grinned as Rin flushed and stood there, letting them attack her hair as they tried several times to put it up nicely. When they uncovered her ears to show the sparkling earrings underneath, all three gasped and clustered closer to see them. Rin blushed and took a step back, not understanding what they were peering at so closely.

"You have holes in your ears!" Koto cried as she touched one of the rings with the tip of her claw. "Wasn't that painful?"

Rin lifted her hand to her opposite ear and touched the tiny silver stud she had put on before leaving for school several mornings ago. "Uh, well, they did it when I was little, so I don't remember," she replied.

"Amazing, women are allowed to put holes in their ears where you come from?" Hana asked, touching the silver ring as if it might shock her.

"Yeah, anyone can," Rin replied sheepishly.

"Ah, jewelry such as this is only for the nobles in our land. To have holes in ones ears is to be royalty," Keiko said with a grandmother's placating tone. She had a funny accent to her voice and her way of speaking reminded Rin of an old woman from Russia for some odd reason.

Keiko and Hana pulled at her hair as they continued to go on about how pretty she would look and how very tiny she was. Rin flushed the entire time but only half-listened to what they were saying as her imagination started to take wing. This process never took long, she only need be idle for a minute or so before she started to lose focus and day-dream. This time she was just thinking to herself whimsically, lost in the strangeness of this new world and how accepting all of the youkai seemed to be of her. It was a dream come true and she couldn't help but feel that she did not deserve such a gift as having her dearest desire come to life.

* * *

Blah. Have been horribly busy at school these last few weeks, sorry everyone. I have no access to the computer during the week and on the weekends I'm so overloaded with homework and reports and campaigning projects and other such things that I barely even get on to check my email anymore. I feel like a slug...

Anyway, thanks for your patience and reviews, everyone, I really appreciate it and plan to get back on the ball as soon as possible.

Well, what do you think so far? This is turning out to be a much longer fanfic than I first intentioned, but that's good, since it gives me time to develop Sessh and Rin's relationship better. Hopefully there shall be some fluff for you all in the future, if you're good. Heh, joking, joking, there will be fluff no matter what. Keep your eyes open!

Well, have to go now, many more things to get my butt moving on. Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Thirteen – Festivities_

"Rin you look wonderful," Koto beamed as her human friend blushed and shied away from so much attention.

She had never considered herself much of a beauty and all of this attention focused on her was making her skittish. Were they serious? She looked lovely? She looked at herself in a funny mirror hanging on the wall and saw only her regular old self, standing there and staring back. There was nothing in the least bit 'beautiful' about her, and this outfit was so flashy too. She'd surely stick out in the crowd of youkai more than ever now…

"T-thank you…" Rin replied sheepishly, her face was a whole new shade of red now.

The tanuki women giggled at their work, very pleased with themselves.

"You are sure to impress the prince tonight," Hana giggled like a schoolgirl.

Rin's eyes widened and she lowered her eyes to the ground; all three of the youkai women laughed then, their mirth only grew when Jaken whirled about, fuming at them for saying 'such indecent things.'

"…" Rin bit on her bottom lip, feeling her heart pound in her chest, pumping more and more blood into her face. It was good that her youkai companions were all busy arguing playfully with the flabbergasted Jaken or else she might very well have been even further embarrassed.

"Hoo hoo, well now, enough of that, time to get along," Hana said, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Jaken was fuming.

"Yes yes, there is much to be done and little time left to do it in," Keiko agreed with a nod and both of them helped Rin out of their room, making sure that not one part of the kimono snagged or that one hair fell out of place.

Koto walked ahead of them, stepping backwards so that she could face Rin with a bright smile. "I'm so excited for you, Rin, I wish I could go with you."

Rin raised one eyebrow, feeling troubled as she again realized that she would not be able to have Koto by her side. She'd feel much more comfortable if Koto could come along, at least it would give her someone to talk to…The enigmatic prince surely wouldn't say a word to her…

"Why can't you come?" Rin knew there must be some kind of class difference that did not allow Koto to attend, but she couldn't believe that Inutaishou would enforce such a thing.

Koto gave her a bewildered look and Keiko and Hana exchanged unsure glances. "Well, uh, I," Koto stumbled for the right words. She was used to this sort of thing, but obviously Rin did not understand at all how their world worked. How could she explain it to the foreigner?

"She can't come because she's a filthy servant and her presence would dirty the image of the honorable Inutaishou-sama," Jaken squawked, looking quite agitated still.

"You're not allowed to attend either, ugly toad," Koto snapped back, sniffing at him in disdain.

Rin felt a pang of guilt, she hadn't meant to bring up such a subject. It didn't seem right, not allowing Koto or Jaken to come for such a silly, old-fashioned reason. Was it really Inutaishou enforcing such a thing, or was this another of Jaken's interpretations of things? Whatever it was Rin felt guilty for bringing up the subject and hastily gave Koto an apologetic gaze. Koto rolled her eyes in return, giving a shrug to show that she didn't care.

"Hmph," Jaken sniffed, turning his beak up at the kitsune child. "Come on, human, Inutaishou-sama and Sesshoumaru-sama will be waiting."

Rin became instantly flustered and gave a wild look around at her three attendants in hopes that one of them would come along as well, but they simply smiled at her. "B-but I thought, isn't there more I have to do to get ready before we leave?" she spluttered, confused by the tanuki's rush to 'finish things up' just a few seconds earlier.

"Of course not you silly human, now come on, we don't want to make Inutaishou-sama wait," Jaken barked and began to waddle away.

Rin cast another wide-eyed glance at her three friends, confused by the suddenness of all of this, but they continued to smile. Koto shrugged again, glaring meaningfully at Jaken's back, signifying that Jaken had taken it upon himself to declare their escapade over with before everything was finished. Then with a roll of her eyes at Rin's helpless, nearly pleading demeanor, she shooed her off without a word. Taking a deep breath, Rin turned and before Jaken had even gone five feet had caught up with him, looking back over her shoulder every now and again at Koto and the tanuki.

"You fidget too much, stay still," Jaken ordered, looking over his bony shoulder at Rin to see her hands twisted together in anxiety.

"Uh, oh," Rin's eyes had been glazed in thought and she quickly snapped out of it, unclasping her hands and forcing them to stay straight at her side. "Yes, sorry."

"Hmph," Jaken turned back around, leading them at his short waddled pace toward the place where Inutaishou's entourage would be leaving from soon.

Rin was aware that Jaken was treating her coldly, and she resented him for it, though she did not have the gull to yell at him like Koto did. She envied Koto for that, for being able to pluck up the courage to stand up for herself and others in the face of someone of higher rank. If Jaken wanted, he could probably get her in a lot of trouble for harassing him so much. Rin didn't like causing a commotion. Though she did like talking a lot, she didn't like being the center of attention at all and this caused her often to not fight with people unless they were close family. She only truly argued loudly with her family and no one else. She didn't want to cause trouble, if she yelled at Jaken for treating her like he did, the argument might reach Inutaishou and despite her anger at Jaken, she did not wish the wrath of Inutaishou upon him.

Sighing, she noticed with a start that in her musings her hands had clasped together again and she swiftly pulled them apart, tucking them behind her back.

"Inutaishou-sama," Jaken annoying squawk reached her ears. They had just rounded a corner and come upon one of the open gardens that Rin had discovered before, only this one was not enclosed within the castle.

A large patch of grass and flowers could be seen extending away from the castle fifty yards or so, with the forest fringing in around, almost like a barrier. Rin felt a cold shiver rush over as she realized that they were in a very secluded place. The eerie silence of which permeated throughout her body, at once she thought she felt the call of the trees. The branches rustled and seemed to stretch out their arms toward her, calling…whispering…What were they saying? Her heart beat grew faint and her breath shallow as she strained to listen, her eyes half closed in a trance. She couldn't hear their words…

"-chan…Rin-chan," Inutaishou was looking at her peculiarly as he called.

Rin flinched, feeling almost as if she had just woken up as she turned to face Inutaishou. Her cheeks grew pink as she realized that she had been daydreaming again. How embarrassing! How could she have allowed herself to get absorbed in some silly thought right in front of them all like this? Sesshoumaru's enigmatic stare only made her feel worse. What did he think of her?

"G-gomen nasai, Inutaishou-sama," Rin replied, hurrying over to him and bowing low in respect. "I got distracted, I'm sorry."

He smiled warmly at her, laughing at how easily she became embarrassed by things. "It's fine, I didn't mean to interrupt you, you looked like you were in deep thought."

"O-oh no," Rin assured, realizing as she said this that she was cutting him off. Ugh, she was so rude sometimes! "No, it wasn't anything at all. I just got distracted. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you either."

Inutaishou laughed again. "It's fine, Rin-chan. I've told you, there is no need for you to apologize so much." He patted her on the head gently, making sure not to mess up her hair.

He smiled again and Rin gave him an apologetic smile back before he turned to what appeared to be a large white Chinese dragon with long, flowing whiskers. Its sea-green eyes were fixed on Rin, staring at her as she drew closer. Her heart was pounding again. A dragon! A real one! She wanted to reach out and stroke him, to feel his scaly skin to assure herself that she was not dreaming, but she held back, not wanting to appear too childish.

The dragon moved, almost obligingly toward her, his white scales rippling silver at his fluid motions. Rin was in awe and her fingers twitched on her right hand as she felt compelled to pet him again. A low rumble that caused the ground beneath her feet to shiver was heard before the dragon turned its massive head away from her again, facing forward, his nose pointed to the sky.

"He approves of you," Inutaishou informed her as he helped the young human up into the small wooden structure that had been lashed to the dragon's back. She had seen pictures of contraptions like these in books on India and elephants, but she'd never ridden in one before. She had thought them to be unstable, considering how awkward they looked sitting atop a large creature's backbone, but to her surprise it was quite steady beneath her feet.

Inutaishou climbed gracefully in after her, smiling at her reaction. Sesshoumaru was last inside; Rin watched him out of the corner of her eyes, but he remained impassive and cold. Maybe she'd find some way to break the ice with him tonight, to talk to him without feeling awkward at last…

"Hold on tight, Rin-chan," Inutaishou advised before he turned toward the dragon. Its great white head was turned toward them expectantly and at a single nod from Inutaishou, it crouched and shot up into the air in a single leap that made Rin's breath catch in her throat.

* * *

They had been in the air for thirty minutes and the sun had set already. The wind that seemed to rush right through her was chill and Rin stood close to one of the sides, gripping the wooden frame tightly in her frozen fingers as she forced herself not to shiver, though it was hard. Her muscles were sore from keeping her jittering still so long and she felt numb all over. Hopefully they'd arrive soon…

"Ah, here we are," Inutaishou said, sounding a little bit as if he were not anticipating their arrival.

"It would appear as if Naraku has arrived before us for once," Sesshoumaru observed, looking at the ground below with a bit of a glare.

Rin was shocked that he had spoken, he had never shown any emotion in his tone before but as she looked at him now, she could have sworn that she saw some traces of irritability on his face. Was his mask cracking?

The dragon swerved, descending in a wide circle to the ground and roaring loudly, heralding the arrival of the mighty Lord Inutaishou, his esteemed son, the Prince Sesshoumaru and the human girl, Higurashi Rin.

* * *

Whew, its about time I updated, huh? Geez...

Anyway, I'd like to leave a nice long author's note, but there is much to do and little time left to do it in. Gomen!

Review Please?


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Fourteen – Confrontation _

* * *

_"The story behind the painting I drew is already told  
No more tearstains on the pages of my diary  
Tired but unable to give up since I'm  
Responsible for the lives I saved," **Nightwish**_

* * *

Rin felt her stomach suddenly burst into a thousand terrified butterflies that attempted feebly to free themselves from within her. Her heart, tickled by the butterflies soft wings, jump up into her throat, which open to let out a giggle. It stopped halfway up though, for she felt far too childish, and instead contented herself with a large smile. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement. She felt very embarrassed and quickly tried to correct her features before they landed. She wouldn't want to make Inutaishou and Sesshoumaru look bad…

The dragon made an easy landing, which Rin was thankful for. She had been bracing herself for a rocky landing, but she should have known that since the dragon was carrying Inutaishou, he would be exceedingly careful.

Inutaishou helped Rin to the ground, she was quickly followed by the ever-silent Sesshoumaru. He seemed completely uninterested in the whole trip, his eyes piercing into something in the distance enigmatically. His attitude only made Rin more nervous, knowing that everyone at this 'party' was going to be scrutinizing her and asking her questions at every turn. She had to remember to stand straight and tall and to speak properly, so as to not embarrass Inutaishou and his son. Her cheeks were already heating up at the thought of so much attention and she felt jittery and uneasy. She wanted to get moving as soon as possible, but held back since Inutaishou was taking his time.

She found it suddenly hard to breath in the kimono, her hands grew moist and clammy. Fighting to control herself, she took long, deep breath, being sure to be quite silent the entire time. She didn't want anyone around to notice that she was—

"There's no need to be so nervous, Rin-chan."

Rin flinched, not having expected anyone to bring her out of her thoughts so suddenly. She blushed madly with embarrassment and gave Inutaishou a weak smile. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not used to this sort of thing. I'll calm down, sorry."

Inutaishou chuckled at her. "Well, here we are," he announced as he turned to see that servants were already pulling the doors back to allow them passage into the large structure. They bowed as Inutaishou and Sesshoumaru passed, but Rin noticed their eyes peeking up to stare at her as she walked by them. She stared back, finding herself unable to break eye contact with them.

"Rin-chan, don't dawdle," Inutaishou called, knowing Rin would get lost all too easily if she didn't keep up with them.

"Ah! Yes, sorry," she called, jumping to attention. Briefly she looked back over her shoulder as she hurried away and found that the two youkai servants were whispering to each other as they watched her go.

* * *

"Oh, Inutaishou-sama, this must be the magnificent little human girl I've heard so much about," a weasel youkai dressed in a hakama commented with a toothy grin.

Rin smiled pleasantly, bowing to the youkai and introducing herself as politely as she could. She didn't like his tone though, or really any of the tones taken up by the other youkai she had spoken to either. They had all hidden condescending attitudes, snobbish comments and mean-spirited jibes behind their greetings. Like she wasn't worth their time or something, and it made her quite angry. She kept herself in check though, despite her urge to leave immediately. She didn't like this place, these people that treated her as if she were below them.

If Rin had been paying any attention, she would have noticed that behind her, Sesshoumaru was watching with narrowed eyes.

"Well, it was very nice meeting you young lady. I'm terribly sorry to hear about your predicament as well," and he was gone, mingling back in with the rest of the crowd.

Rin sighed, feeling drained and anxious. She desperately wanted to sit down somewhere. "Inutaishou-sama. . .Would it be alright if I. . .could go outside? I'm sorry, I'm just kinda hot in here and I thought I could cool down."

Inutaishou patted her head softly, smiling at her. "Of course you can, you don't need to ask, Rin-chan," he laughed when she apologized again.

* * *

Rin sighed, taking a deep breath of the cool forest air. A bench hewn from stone was set up nearby and she crossed the dirt path to sit on it with another contented sigh. She felt much better up here, she had felt much too stifled and crowded in the dining hall she had just come from. Too many people, too much confusion, she had felt completely overwhelmed.

Now that she was outside, she felt much more at home. It was cool and the air was sweet unlike the air she was used to in Tokyo. The burden of being under the intense scrutiny of every person in the room had lifted from her, making her feel much better than she had in hours. Her mind wandered immediately as she peered over the landscape, her gaze resting on a peculiar silver patch that she had just come across. It stood out from all of the green, with a familiar shape and texture to it that poked at a memory in the back of Rin's mind.

The dragon! Her heart gave a little jump of utter joy and excitement as she realized that the dragon she had rode on with Sesshoumaru and Inutaishou was curled up in the grass not too far off. Would it be ok if she went over there to pet it? It hadn't protested back at Inutaishou's castle, but would it be ok this time since now she had no chaperone? Plucking up her courage, she started walking over.

His eyes were open, his silver ears flicked towards her and he sniffed the air thoughtfully as she approached. He raised his head from the ground when he recognized her and leaned towards her. Rin smiled, happy that she was being greeted so warmly.

"Hello again," she greeted, not quite sure if the dragon could understand her or not. The dragon let her stroke his muzzle, watching her with intense curiosity. Rin grinned at him. "How are you? You've been out here the whole time?"

It rumbled in reply, sniffing her hands thoughtfully. Rin giggled at the cold, wet nose that brushed her palms softly, warming them with his breath. With a loud snort he turned his head away, pricking his ears up as he turned his attention to something in the distance. Rin smiled, going closer and brushing his powerful shoulder with her fingers. He felt so soft. . .

A rumbling growl and Rin flinched, looking up at the dragon questioningly. Did he not like her coming so close? She followed his gaze when she found he was not staring at her but at something behind her. Turning, she started as she saw a dark figure standing on the dirt path not too far off.

This youkai took the form of a man around Sesshoumaru's age, though his skin tone was much paler, possibly from not being out in the light often. His robes were dark, black and purple that seemed nearly the same in the dim light. Long, wavy black hair pulled back in a pony tail made his pale face stand out. His eyes were a bright blood red.

Fear gripped her, made her paralyzed to the spot. There was something not right about this man, something dark and sinister that froze her blood, something so familiar too. Dreadfully familiar. . .

The dragon hissed loudly as the man drew nearer. Rin could feel his muscles bulking up underneath her hand. She patted his shoulder comfortingly, though she was numb. She didn't want him coming nearer either, she frightfully hoped that he would go away, disappear completely. Her heart was beating loudly, she could hear it in her ears; her face was pale.

"A magnificent beast," the man's cool, sensuous tone hit her ears like a wave. It crashed on her, making her draw closer to the dragon's large body instinctively. She was looking for a place to hide. She didn't understand why, but she was unspeakably afraid of this man. She wanted him to go away, to leave her alone, to never come near her ever again.

He looked at her with a smirk as she moved away from him, he knew the impression he had on her and he was enjoying it. "Do I frighten you, little human?"

Rin couldn't speak; she wanted desperately to say 'no,' to deny that she was afraid. Maybe he would leave her alone if he saw that she was not scared of him, but a knot had formed in her throat, barely allowing her to breath. The dragon hissed again, becoming protective of Rin as it inhaled her paralyzing fear. He snapped at the stranger warningly, but the man didn't flinch, simply continued smirking.

The man came closer and Rin backed away, though by now she was right up against the dragon's throat. She couldn't get any farther away. Her heart pounded fearfully, warning her as she watched him stretch out a hand as if to stroke her cheek. Don't let him touch you, don't let him. . .

Craning its neck, the dragon snapped forward, knocking the stranger back with a powerful blow from his snout. He showed the man his teeth, growling warningly.

The man got to his feet; his clothing and hair tussled from being knocked to the ground so roughly. "You're going to regret that," his eyes glowed as he lifted one hand towards the dragon's head.

The two looked about to clash when a voice broke in. "Naraku!"

Rin gasped, looking to see Sesshoumaru standing only a few paces behind the stranger who had turned about with a glare. He smoothed it over immediately though, dropping back into his smooth tone. Rin clung to the dragon, which had calmed somewhat upon Sesshoumaru's appearance.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama, so nice to see you again," he greeted; though Rin knew he was not in any way pleased to see the silver-haired prince.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru demanded, there was an edge to his voice that made Rin tense. He must be angry. . .

Naraku looked at Rin as he spoke, producing a single red blossom from somewhere inside his robes. "I bring a gift for the maiden, though I'm afraid I frightened her," he sounded quite pleased with himself though.

Rin stared at the blossom, her eyes wide with shock. It was the same red flower that the baboon-pelted man had showed her when she had been pulled into this world!

* * *

Sorry about the extremely long wait everyone. Lots has been going on and since I'm only online on the weekends anymore, I don't have much time to write. I believe since the last time I wrote, I've been to Columbus, Washington D.C., and Utah. Weddings, anime conventions and the walk for the right to life have taken up a lot of my weekends as of late.

I'll get right on updating my other fictions as well minna-san, gomen nasai! See you all soon hopefully! Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Fifteen – Sketching_

Rin was silent the entire flight back to the castle, her clammy grip had long ago caused the red blossom she clutched wilt. She plucked at its silken petals, not quite sure why she was holding onto it. Maybe because it reminded her of home? She looked down at it thoughtfully and became instantly lost in memories of her last few moments in her own world. Internally she hissed at the painful memories and quickly shut them away again, dropping the flower in the process. No, she didn't want to remember…she didn't want to remember that day at all…

She stooped and picked the flower back up, sheepishly glancing about to see if anyone had taken notice. They had. Her cheeks flushed immediately and she bowed her head, fussing at the wilted petals again.

"Are you not feeling well, Rin-chan?" Inutaishou questioned, trying not to smile at Rin's frustrations. "You've been quiet ever since Sesshoumaru brought you back from the garden."

Rin looked up sharply, cheeks ablaze, feeling quite stupid and frantic. Should she tell him what she suspected of Lord Naraku or not? If she were wrong, she'd feel horrible about making such an accusation, but if she didn't, and she was right, then she might run into trouble later on. It could be a good lead as to how she could return home too, and she was fairly certain that this Lord Naraku at least _knew_ something about her mysterious passage into this world…But there was still the fact that she might be wrong. She didn't want Inutaishou to go through any trouble at all, and if she set him on a wild goose chase, she'd never forgive herself. She soon became dizzy with indecisiveness.

Seeing Rin so instantly frantic made Inutaishou grin again and he looked side-long at his son slyly. "I see, you two were out in the garden alone together weren't you?"

Both were absolutely silent as Rin's face suffused the brightest red Inutaishou had seen to date. Sesshoumaru merely narrowed his eyes at his father as if to say 'ha ha, you're not funny' while frowning.

"N-no! That's not it at all," Rin spluttered, waving her hands and dropping the flower again. She picked it up hurriedly and continued on, trying to explain the situation but was in fact only making it worse. Inutaishou seemed to love to tease her.

"We- I- no, you see," she gave up after several moments of ineffective attempts at speech.

"Oh yes, I see," Inutaishou continued to tease, only to be rewarded with another death glare from Sesshoumaru and more flustered fussing from Rin.

"Naraku was causing trouble in the gardens," Sesshoumaru said shortly when his father began to nudge him in the ribs with his elbow. He looked annoyed.

Inutaishou paused for a moment; his smile still in place as was his elbow, sticking awkwardly into Sesshoumaru's rib cage. "Oh, he was, eh," he sounded amused and concerned at the same time.

"Rin-chan, what did you make of Lord Naraku?" he asked, turning to her suddenly with a curious smile. Rin was taken aback.

How should she answer? She knew she should tell the truth of what she suspected of the strange Lord, but what if her suspicions were wrong? Again she became flustered, stumbling for words and scratching at her head thoughtfully. There was a long pause in which she collected her thoughts.

"I…uhm…" she looked into Inutaishou's eyes apprehensively, watching carefully for how he would take her words. "I don't trust him…he's…there's something…"

She pulled at her fingers fitfully for a moment, fiddling with the flower caught between them. She held it up so that Inutaishou could see.

"This flower, it was something that the man who brought me into this world showed me before I arrived here…Tonight, he…offered me the same flower. He acted like he knew something…" she felt stupid and turned her eyes away. Naraku was definitely a strange man and she did not like him at all, but was she correct in her assumptions? Could it be just a coincidence?

Inutaishou took the flower in his hand, holding it between his thumb and forefinger as he investigated it with a careful eye. He seemed to have no argument with her idea so far. Rin was slightly relieved, though she still wondered if he thought her foolish or not. He sniffed at the flower before passing it to Sesshoumaru, who looked at it dully.

"What do you make of it?" he asked his son sternly.

Sesshoumaru had barely touched the flower when it suddenly rotted and turned to dust. Inutaishou's eyebrows rose and he snorted in amused contempt as the dust blew away. Rin was astonished.

"It would appear that Lord Naraku doesn't take much of a liking to you," Inutaishou joked humorlessly.

"Hm," Sesshoumaru scoffed.

* * *

Rin sighed to herself as she looked out at the garden, her eyes were half-closed in tired thought. What was she going to do from here? Inutaishou had insisted that she not worry, that they would get her home somehow, but that wasn't what was bothering her. It was that man, Naraku's, cold eyes that she found lurking in the back of her mind. He knew something about why she was in this world, she knew it. It was those eyes…those horrible red eyes. 

_'What a horrible color for someone's eyes to be,'_ Rin thought to herself as she clung to one of the support beams.

"Oi! Rin-san, wake up!" A pair of knuckles rapped on her skull sharply, making her flinch in surprise.

"N-nani!" she cried, spinning about in a blur to find Koto smiling down at her playfully.

"You're always day-dreaming, you know that," Koto mused before taking a seat beside Rin with a grin. "What were you thinking about this time?"

Rin looked out at the garden again, cool and soothing in the early night hours. What _had_ she been thinking about? She had in truth not really been thinking of anything, but floating from one thought to the other in a daze. She was too tired to focus. "I was just thinking…it would be nice to have my sketchbook."

Koto's ears swiveled forward, cocking themselves in a questioning position in accordance with her eyebrows. "What? Sketchbook? What's that?"

Rin looked at her a moment, blinking in disbelief before she remembered to whom she was talking to. Of course Koto wouldn't know about her sketchbook. But how to explain it? Koto probably wouldn't really like to sketch…

"It's like…a book that I keep papers in with my drawings on them. I just thought it would be nice to have it here with me so I could draw," Rin said sheepishly, feeling a tad like an idiot. She'd never gone anywhere without that sketchbook before. She'd left it in her backpack when she left her world…

Koto became thoughtful, watching Rin out of the corner of her eyes with a mischievous twinkle. Rin was about to say something when Koto got to her feet and hurriedly tried to pull Rin up as well.

"Well, Rin-san, you'd better get to sleep. You need to rest," Koto shoved a protesting Rin down the hall.

"Huh, what?" Rin tried to get a word in edgewise, but Koto ignored her, talking loudly over Rin's babble happily.

"You should just rest-up, you've had a big day…"

* * *

Rin woke the next morning, still puzzled as to what had gotten into Koto the night before. Then again, Koto was an odd person, despite the fact that she was youkai, of course. She had an eccentric attitude that made Rin feel at home in this world, like she had gone back to her own time. 

Getting up, Rin tried to fix her crazy bed-head as she looked around the room with bleary sleep-encrusted eyes. Sunlight was coming in through the paper panels of the shouji door.

"Hm, what's this?" Rin mused to herself sleepily as one of her hands rested on an object next to her. It felt like a book…Turning, Rin picked up what seemed to be a collection of papers of different sizes tied together with two dried leaves serving as covers for the pages. It _was_ a book, or at least, Rin was pretty sure that's what it was.

In very thin ink were the characters for 'sketchbook' on one side. It was spelt wrong and the characters were messy and misshapen, but Rin could tell what it was. So _this_ was what Koto was up to!

Rin smiled, overflowing with thankful happiness. Why would she go and do a thing like that? It was so nice of her…Moving the sketchbook to one side; she caught another oddity out of the corner of her eye. Focusing on it, Rin found that beside the sketchbook had been placed a single sharpened stick of charcoal. She smiled at it, wondering where Koto had found all of the means to create such a thing on her own. And just from Rin's briefest description too…

Getting up, Rin hurried to the door and walked out, still in her nightclothes with the sketchbook in hand. She was determined to find Koto and thank her several times over for her kindness. How very sweet of her new friend…

* * *

Sighing, Rin made a face at the sketchbook, irritable because she could not find Koto anywhere. She had looked everywhere in the castle that she could think of her friend being, and had even asked around for Koto, but to no avail. No one seemed to know where her friend was. Rin became disappointed, she really wanted to thank Koto right away… 

"What are you doing moping around here? Are you lost again?"

Rin jumped, looking about wildly for the owner of the voice. Peering down, she spotted the culprit. It was Takeshi, the little youkai boy that had reminded her so much of her own brother. He was giving her a rather sour look, his arms crossed over his chest. Rin didn't think that Takeshi liked her very much…

"Ah, uh, well, no, I'm-uh, just looking for Koto-chan…" Rin stumbled, feeling awkward under Takeshi's angered gaze. "Do you know where she is Takeshi-chan?"

"Don't call me '-chan!'" he ordered immediately, making Rin flinch away from his loud voice. She hurried to apologize but he cut her off rudely. "And Koto isn't around. She's going to be busy all day with work so you better not bother her again."

Rin was taken aback. Was she really always bothering Koto? "I-I'm sorry, I just wanted to thank her…the sketchbook…"

Takeshi looked at it, nose wrinkled in distaste, though it was apparent he was interested. "Well, you'll have to thank her later, she's busy."

With that he walked off, looking like he was about to burst with anger. Rin watched him go, wondering if Takeshi had a little crush on Koto. She suspected so from the way he was acting, but then again, she had always been clueless about those sorts of things. Sighing, Rin scratched her head with one hand as she looked at the makeshift sketchbook. She'd brought the charcoal stick with her…

* * *

Sitting on a rather large boulder in the middle of the largest garden in the castle, Rin sketched out the nearby pond, brimming with life. The Koi inside were making it hard for her, always moving, but she managed to get a pretty good picture down. After all, it was good practice for her art class back at school in her world. She'd have to stay in top-form on at least _something_ if she was gonna be gone so long. 

Sighing, she leaned back, comparing her sketch to the landscape in the twilight. She was satisfied with it, though she did miss her eraser and colored pencils. But she wasn't about to complain after so much work that Koto had put into it. She'd give the sketch to Koto as thanks, maybe, if Koto liked it. Rin grew embarrassed as she considered the idea of someone else looking at her art. Would they think she was very bad? No, they'd praise her…but what did they really think?

Her frazzled thoughts made her eyebrows come together, wrinkling her brow. From beside her came a sudden snort, a half-bark of acknowledgement. Rin flinched, her silence broken. She came crashing back down to earth and realized suddenly that Jiro was seated next to her rock, looking at her with that same stony expression. He seemed rather peeved at not having been noticed until then.

"Oh, it's you," Rin greeted, patting his head warmly. "Where do you run off to all the time, huh? You always seem to sneak up on me."

The dog made no sign as to whether he had heard her or not, merely sitting there as if he were bored. Rin scowled, imitating the dog's stern stare after a moment, mocking him.

"I ought'a call you Sesshoumaru, always being so bland and emotionless. Why don't you get all excited when you get petted like other dogs do?"

Rin paused, thinking about what she had said. "…No, that wouldn't be you then, would it. You'd be just like everyone else. Never mind," she patted his head lovingly again. "Stay the way you are, nothing wrong with that."

The dog watched her through gold-colored eyes that seemed so intelligent and yet he remained silent and stoic as ever, letting her pet him to her content. In a way, he seemed to enjoy it, as Rin continued to stroke him; he seemed to grow more comfortable. Shifting, he leaned closer to her as she scratched behind his ears.

"What do you think, huh?" Rin asked, picking up her sketch and showing it off to him. Jiro looked at the sketch unemotionally and then back at Rin's smiling face. "I'm out of practice, but I'm still proud of it. I think I'll give it to Koto-chan as a present."

Jiro laid down, his head on his paws. Rin made a face, taking Jiro's movement to mean that he didn't like her sketch or was bored with her. She peeked over the edge of the rock to see that Jiro had closed his eyes. Rin imitated Jiro's snort from before.

Setting her sketchbook and charcoal stick aside, Rin climbed down from the rock and crouched down so that she was nose-to-nose in the grass with Jiro. The dog's nostrils flared as they filled with her scent and he opened his eyes lazily, holding Rin's dark chocolate eyes steadily. Suddenly, Rin leaned forward and kissed the tip of Jiro's black nose, startling the dog, which made her grin. His eyes went wide and he sat up, snorting in surprise.

Rin giggled, sitting back on her knees as Jiro licked his snout, apparently confused.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" she continued to laugh. "That's what you get for trying to ignore me."

Jiro's expression went back to its usual flat look before he turned and walked away. Rin made a face at his retreating form, peeved with the dog.

"Oh, can't you take a joke," Rin grumbled after him. "Runnin' off with your tail between your legs because I got the better of you for once."

Jiro stopped for a moment, looking back at her briefly before continuing his slow pace away from her.

Rin laughed again as she stood and collected her things.

* * *

Haha, poor Jiro/Sesshou-chan, I put him through a lot this chapter. And poor oblivious Rin-chan too, she went and kissed him on the nose. When writing that, I was thinking of what I usually do around my dog (female, Yorkshire Terrier), and I have a habit of kissing my dog on the nose, so I thought it would be very cute to include here. 

This chapter is longer than usual because I couldn't seem to stop typing, but I know that's a good thing in the long run, so there you go.

I'm glad that Rin's character is popular with everyone out there, I was afraid for the longest time that making Rin a shy, anxiety-ridden artist would not fair well with those that wanted Rin to be more out-going in she and Sessh's relationship. Unfortunately, I was unable to picture a teenage Rin any other way, that is, if she hadn't met Sesshoumaru in her childhood like in the anime/manga. But it would appear that I made the right choice, and I'm very glad.

Thanks for your patience and kind reviews, as always. Just a little longer until summer, everyone! Keep with me here. Haha.

Thank you once again and I'm afraid I must take my leave now. Ja'ne!

Review Please.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_**Lost World**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Sixteen – Gift_

Rin found Koto immediately the next day and tried to hide her overflowing elation as she presented her friend with her first sketch in Koto's sketchbook.

Surprised by Rin's sudden eagerness and bouncy attitude, she was further surprised by the accuracy of Rin's sketch. She stared at it for a long time with large eyes, a bright smile spread from ear to ear. Rin's happiness subsided some, her nervousness and embarrassment beginning to take hold again in the growing silence. She shifted uneasily, still smiling, as she pulled at her fingers.

"Rin-chan, this is amazing! Why didn't you tell me you could do this before?" Koto exclaimed, looking up from the charcoal rendering of the Koi at last.

Rin shied away from the praise, though she was very happy that Koto liked it. "I've had a lot of practice…"

Koto laughed, surprising Rin. "It takes more than practice for something like this!" Koto gestured at the Koi.

Rin smiled softly and blushed, averting her eyes; she could think of no other way to refute what Koto said any longer. It's not like the girl would let Rin get away with putting herself down anyway. Besides, she _should_ allow herself some praise _sometimes_, she supposed…

"You…you can have it…if you want," Rin cast her eyes away shyly again, realizing that she had not even thanked Koto for the gift of the sketchbook yet. "As thanks for making me a sketchbook – ah, I'd be happy to draw anything you wanted whenever you wanted, though!"

Koto beamed so brightly that Rin fell short and spluttered the last bit as she searched for more words that weren't there. Then, in a motion that Rin barely saw, Koto lunged forward and caught the human in a tight bear hug. Rin stumbled under the sudden weight but hurriedly caught herself and felt herself grinning wildly as she returned Koto's excited hug.

A friend! She finally had a true friend!

* * *

Kagome stared dully about Rin's room, as cluttered as it was, it felt empty. Every corner seemed to exude sorrow at the loss of the quiet, artistic mistress that once inhabited it. Not a thing had stirred from its place since Rin's mysterious disappearance. Stories left half-finished sat amongst sketches of fantastic characters and scattered notes that the author had hastily scrawled on any tiny scrap she could get her hands on.

Wandering into this foreign land was Kagome, memories playing over and over before her mind's eye tauntingly. Where had Rin gone? Nothing made sense anymore since Rin's disappearance. She hadn't cared tell the rest of her family about finding Rin's unconscious body only to have it disappear in her arms. It was far too strange, even Jii-chan would think she was loony.

She sighed, pushing aside the various notebooks, paper scraps and sheets of loose leaf. The police had been immediately notified when the family could not find Rin, Kagome standing mutely in the middle of all of the craziness, stunned and dazed. Her family believed that she was in shock from the news and having been the one to first discover Rin's bag outside the house in the dirt.

Searches had immediately commenced, friends and family from all over the city called in, wanting to help or to ask for news about Rin. Every day the kids at school would stop to watch her in the hallway, to question her about Rin or to whisper to each other as she passed.

Rumors had begun to spread like wildfire that the old Higurashi shrine was haunted and had spirited away the poor Rin, or that Rin had committed suicide. Students that had never noticed Rin before now described her as 'weird,' one of those silent, brooding types that hold strange notions about the world and do not make friends because they do not enjoy the company of others. One group of particularly snooty and gossip-inclined girls dared to add that Higurashi Rin had fancied herself better than the rest of the student body.

Kagome sneered derisively – an action not at all like her – as she recalled the memory of how her friend Yuka had come to inform her of this bit of news. Yuka had not been pleasant to the girls ever since, though not by Kagome's orders or anyone else's.

Her shuffling halted as she came upon a sketch that she knew all too well. At least, she knew the name of the character that was scribbled at the bottom…The sketch itself was gone, and yet she knew that it had not been before. This drawing had been one that Rin had been particularly proud of and she recognized the scribbled notes about the character as some of Rin's hand writing from months ago. Open-mouthed, Kagome stared at the blank sheet dumbly, for there was not even a sign of the sketch having been erased. It was utterly blank, white and pure while the rest of the sheet was smeared with pencil lead from constant handling. How could this be? First Rin disappears and now her drawings mysteriously gone as well?

Instinctively her eyes darted to a bulletin board that Rin kept next to her desk. Thousands more papers were tacked onto it and Kagome was horrified to find that more such blank sheets hung there among the rest. It was the strangest thing, for everything on the sheets was still there except the character renderings. Even as she watched, she would have sworn that she saw another disappear out of the corner of her eye.

From her peripheral vision she caught sight of a brilliant splash of red and green against the dull grays and whites on Rin's desk. A red blossom, which she knew had not been there before, sat on the desk freshly cut. Kagome picked it up carefully, examining it with frightened thoughtfulness. What was going on? Was she going insane?

A knock at the door and she flinched, turning sharply. The knock came twice more before she moved to answer it. Where was the rest of the family? Why was no one else answering the door?

Kagome carefully unlocked the door, the flower still clutched in her hand.

Outside stood a girl that looked about Rin's age with short black hair cropped very close to her head. She looked up at Kagome through black-rimmed glasses, her dark eyes bright with curiosity.

"Hello, is Rin home? I'm a friend from school."

* * *

"Over here, come on!" Koto called, pulling Rin along by the wrist behind her.

Rin smiled and tried to keep up. She'd never been the athletic type, so she was already quite slow and Koto, with her demon blood, was as swift as the wind in comparison. She felt bad, knowing that Koto was purposely holding back and yet she still could not keep pace with the kitsune.

"Where are we going?" Rin puffed.

"You'll see!" Koto giggled at Rin's red face that frowned in playful frustration. "I'm sure you haven't been there yet and you'll love it! Just wait!"

Rin hurriedly called out apologies to servants that were nearly toppled by the pair as they raced about. Koto seemed to have no remorse, a wicked grin on her face as she charged down her unsuspecting targets only to whip out of the way at the last moment. Rin had to try and keep up with these swerves as well as Koto's hurried pace.

"Ah! Sorry Mizu-san!" Rin shouted as they raced by the rotund woman who made a swipe at Koto. Koto dodged it and laughed as Mizu shook a fist and called after them.

"Oh, it's Jaken!" Koto beamed as she spotted the toad, totally unaware of their approach.

"Huh?" Rin replied, then as she realized what Koto planned, "Oh, no! Koto, don't! Stop!"

It was too late. Koto was determined now and ignored Rin's cries to halt. Jaken, upon hearing the pound of feet now and Rin's wild protests turned his head somewhat and started when his eyes fixed on the oncoming pair. Rin was waving her one available arm wildly, reaching for a hold to stop Koto or to somewhat hinder their progress, for she was sure that she'd lose all control of her own legs soon. Already they were shaking from the over-exertion and her breaths were coming in sharp and piercing, making her lungs scream. Koto's eyes were glowing with playful fire as she charged him. The little toad let out a scream of fright and hurried to get out of their way, but again, he was too late by this time.

"Watch out Jaken-_san_!" Koto mocked as she leaped over his head. Rin barely cleared him, her wobbly legs nearly giving under her weight on the descent. She called for Koto to halt, but they had gained too much speed to stop on command now.

Jaken spluttered, outraged at the unruliness of the two girls. He shook his staff of heads at them and gave chase, though soon falling far behind on his stubby legs. Rin was too out of breath to apologize; instead she concentrated on communicating to Koto her discomfort.

Koto was near mad with laughter, her face split in half by her enormous grin. She knew that Rin was calling for her to slow down and obliged. To her surprised puzzlement, Rin's breathing was very haggard in her sensitive ears and she wondered with a pang of guilt if she had overexerted her friend. She began to slow more as she came near to a corner.

"Come back here you insolent girls! I'll have Inutaishou-sama hear about this!" Jaken screamed, swinging the staff of heads over his head as he came.

"Only if you can catch us!" Koto let out another loud laugh and rounded the corner, planning on disappearing into the first open room until Jaken passed.

WHAM!

Rin wasn't quite sure what happened at first, for as soon as she had rounded the corner, she slammed right into the back of Koto, who apparently had in turn knocked into someone else. Koto was shoved harder into the person in front of her by Rin's impact, and the unnamed third party fell back under the sudden weight and force which struck him. Rin briefly felt Jaken bump against the backs of her calves as she tilted forward. As she lost her footing, she kicked her heels back impulsively and Jaken's weight disappeared, though a scream did register overhead. All four fell hard on the wood floor and laid there.

Again, this happened so suddenly and so fast that the entirety described was seemingly one fluid motion. Rin, bewildered and dazed, lay still, her heart racing as she pressed her throbbing temple to the cool wood. She puffed for breath, keeping her eyes closed for she had knocked her head pretty hard in the fall and now had a searing headache. Presently she scanned the area, though careful of her movements for she was tangled about the other three that had also fallen.

Koto stirred to her side and sat up, rubbing her head and one crumpled ear. "Owww…" she groaned as she reached over and plucked Jaken off the face of the unnamed person whom they had toppled.

Her expression faltered and she looked over at Rin with large eyes. Finding herself unable to speak, she mouthed the person's name. "Inutaishou-sama…"

Rin's heart pounded and she jumped forward, sitting on her knees and peering into the tall Lord's face. His eyes were closed and her lay quite still. Carelessly, Koto tossed Jaken aside; he bounced off the opposing wall and lay dazed on the ground behind them.

"Is he ok?" Rin asked, though she could tell just from the fact that they had knocked the mighty youkai Lord _unconscious_ that he was definitely not 'ok.' Another obvious question rose into her throat and escaped over her tongue before she could retract it. "Did we knock him unconscious?"

Koto stared, "You think he's dead?" she whispered as she lifted one of his great, hulking arms and let it go again. It landed with a loud 'thud.'

"No!" Rin hissed, a touch frightened. She pressed her ear to his chest to listen for a heartbeat.

"What are you doing?" Koto whispered sharply, not understanding Rin's movements.

"Shh! I'm listening for a heartbeat…" she pressed a finger to her lips and waited.

"What do you hear?"

"A heartbeat, so he's not dead, Koto," Rin replied, giving her friend a hard look for even suggesting such a thing. If Rin hadn't been so very flustered at that moment, however, she might have noticed that the deep bass voice could not belong to her slight, girlish friend. She might even have noticed that the voice had resonated inside of the great chest she had had her ear against, but again, she was so flustered that none of this was made at all apparent to her until several moments later.

Koto was staring at Inutaishou's face with a relieved grin when Rin looked back up. Rin raised an eyebrow at her friend quizzically, not understanding at all what her friend thought was so funny. "Koto, what-"

"Bwah!"

Inutaishou suddenly sat bolt upright and flung his arms out at her, a toothy grin spread on his face. Rin nearly jumped out of her skin, giving a shrill cry as she flinched away, tensing.

Koto and Inutaishou both erupted into laughter immediately, leaving a puzzled Rin to stare at them blankly with her heart pounding in fright. Rin's panic melted though, and she sighed as she hurried to calm her rising anxiety.

"The look on your face," Koto giggled, doubled over on the floor.

Inutaishou was leaning back, his arms anchoring him on either side. He was chuckling, his eyes closed and chin titled toward the ceiling.

Rin laughed nervously at first, thankful that the mighty Lord was ok after all. The nervous laughter was soon replaced by loud giggles that brought tears to her eyes, for she could not help but laugh at herself. The others renewed their laughter with her.

Sesshoumaru found them this way, sprawled out on the floor in fits of giggles. Jaken was still lying on his stomach a little ways off, unconscious. He arched a single eyebrow at the lot of them.

"What are you doing?" he questioned in his usual dull tone. Rin blushed, feeling silly under that gaze, and yet knowing that there was no reason why she should feel such a way.

"Scaring Rin-chan," Inutaishou replied, still laughing. "Want to join, Sesshoumaru?"

His silence was his answer.

Rin flushed further and acted as if she wasn't aware of the conversation. She was afraid of what her expression might give away if she looked in his eyes.

Inutaishou turned to Koto, seeing that she was the leader of the brigade that had knocked him down. "Where were you two headed in such a hurry anyway?"

Koto brightened, then, with a swift peek at Rin, leaned toward Inutaishou and whispered something in his ear between her cupped hands. Rin looked from one to the other and then at Sesshoumaru, confused and hoping someone could tell her what was going on. Koto didn't need to keep their destination a secret from her forever…

Inutaishou's eyes darted to Rin and he smiled as he listened to Koto's brief explanation. Both looked quite pleased with themselves when Koto sat back again. She stuck her tongue out playfully when Rin wrinkled her nose at her.

"That's a grand idea," Inutaishou pulled himself to his feet. "Let's go!"

* * *

Well now, I'm glad I got at least this chapter up before Ikasucon this weekend. I've been busy with cosplay, and since the con is Friday, I may not get out any other chapters until next week, sorry.

**_Fanart for this fanfic is available at my deviantArt account_!** Though the only sketch so far is a character sheet, I still am glad to say that it's up! Please feel free to view and comment on it; I hope to get more up relatively soon. **_A link to my account is available in my profile!_**

Alright, that's about all I have time for today. I hope you enjoyed and please stay tuned! Ja'ne!

Review Please!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_Lost World_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Seventeen – Pet_

Koto giggled, her hands pressed excitedly over Rin's eyes as she jittered about. "Are you sure you can't see," she questioned, trying to peek at Rin's face from behind awkwardly.

Rin smiled broadly, excited and amused by the sound of her bubbly emotion mirrored in Koto's voice as well.

"No, not a thing," she replied, aware of the scrutinizing gaze of Sesshoumaru, which made her mood falter somewhat. Did he think she was an airhead? She fidgeted, uncertain, but maintained her good humor despite her nervousness.

"Good!" Koto exclaimed, hopping up on her toes as she sucked in a deep breath. "Alright, Inutaishou-sama, all set!"

Up ahead, Rin heard the creak and slide of doors, followed closely by an explosion of noise that Rin immediately identified. Her heart pounded with joy as the smell of fodder wafted her way, carrying with it the various other odors of a zoo or paddock. She knew instantly what Koto had planned and couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. What had she done to deserve such kindness anyway?

Koto drew her hands away with a dramatic flourish, throwing her arms up in the air and beaming from ear to ear. "Ta-dah!" she called out triumphantly, dancing around so that she stood at Rin's side, her kimono sleeves fluttering about wildly. Inutaishou beamed, making a sweeping gesture toward the area beyond the door, inviting her in.

Rin's mouth hung open, feeling a wave of different emotions welling up inside of her. On the one hand she was overwhelmed with thankfulness and was humbled by her friends' generosity and care. Still, she knew she should be concentrating on finding a way back home and though all the distractions were welcomed and quite fun, she didn't want to waste time that could be better spent doing something else. What was she supposed to say to them though, and why not enjoy herself a little bit more? Really, it wasn't like she had any strong leads as to _how_ she was going to get back…Did she even want to go back?

Taken from her torn emotions swiftly from an eager shove by Koto, Rin stepped hesitantly forward, unsure as to whether or not she should run forward, as her heart desperately wanted her to. Her cheeks flushed with pleasure, excitement and embarrassment as she got to the door, turning to look at the three behind her with hesitant happiness.

"You really didn't have to go to so much trouble! I wouldn't have minded-" she began, but was cut off abruptly by Koto.

"Oh, don't give me that, Rin-chan. I've been dying to sneak you in here ever since you started going on and on about that mystery-pooch of yours, Jiro-san!" Koto beamed and poked Rin in the nose playfully.

Rin chuckled with embarrassment.

"Hm?" Inutaishou perked up, being the only one of the four present that had seen the minute shift in Sesshoumaru's expression upon mention of the dog. "Rin-chan has been visited by an unknown dog?"

Koto giggled, trapping Rin in a headlock-type hug, as amused by the circumstances as Rin was embarrassed. "Yepp, Rin-chan here's the only one that's ever seen her little Jiro-chan."

"Really?" Inutaishou appeared honestly astonished. "What does he look like Rin-chan? He might not be safe if you're the only one that's seen him."

Rin nearly jumped, her eyes widening as she frantically shook her head. "Well, he's really big and fluffy, pure white with a moon-shaped make on his head like yours, so I thought that he might be a royal pet or something. I'm not even sure what his name really is, so I call him jiro-chan…Really though, he's rather rude for a dog, but I'm sure he's perfectly fine, Inutaishou-dono! Really, he's never acted strangely, and he's really warm and soft, and...ah…"

She cut off when she noticed the amused looks that everyone was watching her with; everyone except Sesshoumaru, of course, who seemed as completely uninterested as usual.

"Really, a moon-shaped mark on his forehead, and he was rude, hm?" Inutaishou snickered, shooting a side-long, sneaky glance at Sesshoumaru who was intentionally avoiding his father's eyes.

"Rin-chan, you're so adorable," Koto cooed, latching onto her human friend tighter than before. "Come on, though, enough talking, I want to show you something!"

Koto took Rin's hand and jerked her inside so suddenly and enthusiastically that Rin didn't know what had happened until she was already out of sight of Inutaishou and Sesshoumaru.

When the two had gone, Inutaishou turned to Sesshoumaru with a wide, toothy grin, looking quite pleased. A sneaky glint showed in his eyes and Sesshoumaru frowned earnestly as if in reply.

"So, you haven't seen this mysterious Jiro-san about, have you, Sesshoumaru?" he asked innocently.

Sesshoumaru frowned, narrowing his eyes as he followed after the two girls, his movements slick and silent. "No," he almost growled, seeming miffed.

Inutaishou chuckled, amused. "Of course…"

* * *

"Oh, wow, dragon-san!" Rin exclaimed, hugging the huge muzzle of the silver-blue dragon that she had ridden once with Sesshoumaru and Inutaishou.

The dragon grumbled happily, snuffling her hands and face excitedly, making Rin giggle as it tickled her with it's warm breath. "I missed you too," she agreed, patting its nose with a grin.

Koto smiled. "I knew you'd want to see Amaryu-san again too, so I asked Inutaishou-sama if it would be ok if I brought you in here."

"Ah, so that's you're name, you're Amaryu-san," Rin smiled as she continued to pat the dragon's large nose. After a moment she paused, continuing to stroke Amaryu's nose as she looked thoughtfully skyward, lips pursed.

"So…Jiro-chan and Amaryu-san are the only animals around here?" she looked skeptically around the stall, for it was rather large and at the moment, Amaryu was the only inhabitant other than Rin and Koto. Due to the heavy scent of fodder, she was sure that there had to be other animals of some sort hereabouts, but there wasn't one sign of life outside of the dragon's stall.

"Jiro-chan isn't even confirmed as being an actual inhabitant of the castle yet," Koto corrected with a wave of her index finger. "And no, Amaryu-san isn't the only inhabitant. Dragons that inhabit the palace are given their own private stalls in this section of the stables, but Amaryu-san is currently the only one taking residence here."

Rin nodded, pecking a light kiss on Amaryu's nose playfully. "The stable's must be very large, then," she mused, feeling a twinge of joy fill her at the thought of all the cute, fluffy animals romping about. She knew it was childish, but she couldn't deny her greatest weakness. It made her miss Buyo – the family cat – back at home. She hoped Souta was treating him right…

"Yes, the stable's take up nearly a third of the royal grounds outside of the palace. There is truly so much to see," Inutaishou popped in cheerily, grinning toothily.

"Ah! Really?" Rin checked herself, embarrassed by her excited outburst. "Uh, sorry, uhm…so, it's really that big? What…ah," she faltered, trying to word her questions so that she wouldn't come off as too childish. "W-what kinds of animals are there? I mean, they're not all like Amaryu-san, are they? I-in my world…er, rather, where I came from, there aren't any real dragons like Amaryu-san…are things like that common here?"

Despite her attempt to control herself, there was no denying the excitement that edged in, the curious wonder, the child-like awe and wonder that was overflowing within her heart.

"Yeah, they don't have those where you live? There's all kinds of neat things in the stables, nothing dirty and boring like sheep or cows, all of our food provisions come from tithe's, so the stable's are filled with other beasts…or 'creatures' as you called them." Koto replied, seeming to like being able to explain things so much. Rin was sure that if given the chance, Koto would have been an excellent teacher someday.

Rin's eyes dazzled, alive with wonder, her heart yearning. "Could…ah, that is, if it's not too much trouble, would it be alright if," Rin fidgeted, biting her bottom lip and she stumbled. She hated sounding so feeble like this, but she didn't want to be rude either.

"Go there? Of course," Inutaishou beamed and Rin in return, but immediately his expression fell dramatically. "Alas, I am unable to escort you today. My advisor's will be worried for me and likely tearing the place to pieces in search of me. Forgive me Rin-chan, the duties I have of being a host are overridden by my duties are Lord of these lands."

Rin felt her heart sink and she immediately recovered, earnestly reassuring a dramatically downcast Inutaishou that she was fine with visiting another time. So distraught was she that she did not notice that Inutaishou's behavior was a bit…odder than usual.

Koto, catching on to what her Lord was at, took up the dramatic attitude as well.

"I can't either, Rin-chan, I'm so sorry, but Mizu-san will be looking for me too, because I've been shirking my duties all morning so as to play with you again. I shouldn't keep her much longer though, or I'll catch the switch," she moaned in such a dramatic attitude that Rin was beginning to suspect something. However, Koto hint at being beaten for her tardiness made her forget them all as she rushed to her friend's aid.

"Ah, is that true, Koto-chan?! You shouldn't go through such trouble for me! If she wants someone to berate for your absence, I'll take your place instead! Really, it's not fair that you should get in trouble for humoring me! I'm sorry I'm such a bother to you all, I'm sorry!!" Rin grasped Koto's hands so tightly and seemed so distraught that Koto began to feel guilty for lying in the first place.

"Rin-chan, you are too kind," Inutaishou took one of her hands gently and played at mopping away false tears. "Oh, if only I were able to spend more time with you!"

Rin gave a small grin, embarrassed by the whole matter, her thoughts in a million different places at once. "Oh no, of course not, don't bother, I'll be fine. Besides, you're work is far more important, it'd be bad if I caused you some harm by needing so much attention."

Inutaishou whipped about, his long silver ponytail nearly catching Rin in the face in his sudden jerking movement. "Sesshoumaru-!" he called in a plaintive tone.

The tall prince looked over sullenly from where he stood with his back against the wall by the door, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked disgruntled; even more so when his father called him out.

"No," his icy tone froze Rin's every nerve and her gut hardened, startled by his hard, frozen attitude. Was he angry with her for being the center of all of this silliness? She had guessed a long time ago that he was the type to not tolerate frivolous and silly behavior; he was the type to assert seriousness at all times. So, did he think her a bother for always being the cause of his father's caring and playful outbursts? She flushed; she hoped not.

"I haven't even asked the question yet," Inutaishou replied, looking hurt.

"I already know what you're going to ask, and the answer is 'no,'" Sesshoumaru asserted dully, closing his eyes and moving toward the door.

"But Sesshoumaru, it's your duty to act in my place when I am unable to," Inutaishou grabbed Rin's shoulders and pushed her forward when Sesshoumaru continued to ignore him, the giant demon Lord looking as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment. "Not even for poor, cute little Rin-chan, Sesshoumaru?" he whined.

Rin blushed, frozen, rigid, her entire body growing red as Sesshoumaru turned, one golden eye fixing on her face and holding her gaze for a few cold seconds. He sighed, frowning as his gaze flew up to meet his father's eyes. Rin felt herself breathe again, if only a little, for she knew he was still watching despite his attention being turned elsewhere for the time.

"You shouldn't use her like that," Sesshoumaru seemed to almost grumble as he came forward slowly, taking his time.

"So you'll escort Rin-chan around in my stead then, Sesshoumaru?" Inutaishou grinned brightly, sounding relieved as he patted his son's shoulder emphatically. Rin blushed wildly, fidgeting with her fingers as she tried to worm her way out of this predicament which she couldn't deny was the fantasy of any high school girl, including herself. Still, she was nervous about being alone with the icy cold prince; she was sure he was aware of her crush on him.

Koto waved herself off immediately and disappeared before Rin could call after her. Rin swallowed hard.

"Ah, it's really fine, if Sesshoumaru-dono doesn't want to take me around, I'm just fine. Really, it's ok, I'll be fine, I don't want to be a bother or anything," she mumbled, smiling as her cheeks lit up more and more.

Breaking off, she looked up and started as she saw that Inutaishou had long since departed, as had Sesshoumaru. Looking about frantically, she was surprised again when she found that the prince was standing at her side, one hand resting on the nose of Amaryu. The dragon made a chuckling sound at the look of shock on the young girl's face.

"Come, Higurashi-san," he ordered before she could say anything, and immediately turned and strode off to her right.

"Ah, right!" Rin jumped to attention, bowing quickly to Amaryu and murmuring a respectful 'goodbye' before jogging after the prince. She mumbled an apology as she caught up with him, but he didn't seem to hear her.

They walked along for what seemed like ages to Rin, but in actuality it was no more than a minute or so. Still, the excruciating silence petered out, drawing each second out dangerously thin, leaving Rin's nerves a wreck. Was she being rude by not talking to him? What would she talk about, though? It's not like she knew what he was interested in; then again, she'd never asked, either. Would he tell her if she asked? He probably wouldn't want to talk with her, he probably thought she was a nuisance…

"Uhm, well, how…are you?" Rin feebly pulled at her fingers, her eyes on her feet. It had taken every ounce of her courage to voice those words and now she felt drained, holding her breath as she waited for his reply.

His reply never came, though.

Disappointed and downtrodden, Rin sighed wearily, wondering what she was doing wrong. She knew that he probably wasn't the talkative type – then again, neither was she – but he could have at least answered her questions. Maybe she'd been impertinent by addressing him so freely…What was the code of the court here? What royal ethics was she missing that could be offending him?

"Don't be frightened of anything inside," the calm, even-toned voice jolted her from her thoughts. She flinched mentally, her eyes focusing as she swung to face the owner, though she knew by his voice that it was Sesshoumaru who spoke.

"Oh, right, I'm sure I won't be," Rin replied awkwardly.

She was excited now as her eyes followed the movement of his right hand, braced against a solid wooden western-style door. He forced it open, the door sliding back like a tradition shouji door would, something which caught Rin's interest. However, the flourish of greenery that peeked at her from the other side immediately cleared all other thoughts away. Rin faltered at the sight, her eyes wide in wonder as she looked around, taking it all in.

She was in...a tropical forest?

* * *

Gah, I can't believe it's been so long since my last update already! Ugh, so sorry everyone, I really didn't mean for it to last this long, but school has just been bombarding me with work, leaving me tired and listless on the weekends. ((I have a creative writing and a very demanding art class this year, so I have very little time for my own pleasures during the week what with other homework and such besides.))

Thanks for your patience and support, as always, though. And special thanks for a certain fan over on Fictionised that has really been pushing me to update, which is just what I need. Heehee, sankyu!!

I'm definitely on the ball now, and should be updating more soon. (Hey, October 6 was my birthday!!) So I know ASW will be updated for sure with a possible chapter for Servant as well as some new original stuff for my account on fictionpress/fictionised. At any rate, more coming soon, thanks for your support and see ya later!

Review Please.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

_Lost World_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Eighteen – Alone_

Rin gasped, taken aback by the sight before her. Was she imagining things? Blinking, she proceeded to rub at her eyes and then looked around again carefully. Her heart swelled with excitement, though she was puzzled by how it had happened; she WAS in a forest. Well, more like a jungle to be exact, but it was still unlike anything she'd ever seen.

Trees taller and thicker than any she'd ever seen before towered above her. Craning her neck, Rin strained to see where their long boughs ended. Thick, twisted ropes of vines hung down from the branches and clung tightly to the heavy trunks; they swayed gently in a light breeze that was passing overhead. Various fruits that Rin had never seen were caught in bunches on the vines; ripe and plump. She wondered hungrily if this new fruit was edible…

In awe, Rin's mouth hung open, her eyes wide as she hurried to take it all in and record it in her memory. Such a sight as this would be absolutely beautiful on paper as a sketch or story description - though she knew that nothing would do the scene justice. It was simply too beautiful for words or pencil; no medium could completely capture the scene.

Her musings were disrupted – as they always were – as a small white monkey swung down as vine she had been looking at. Its black face investigated her curiously before it chattered loudly and clawed at the vine-fruit with ravenous ferocity.

Despite its odd behavior and rather sudden appearance, she couldn't help but smile at the fluffy creature. It had white fur too, just like Jiro! Were all the mammals in this world albino, perhaps? She noted it carefully, hoping she would remember to ask Koto about this phenomenon later.

_'Koto-? Oh! The prince!'_

Suddenly remembering her stoic guide, she turned about to see what he was doing. How inconsiderate of her to go off daydreaming again!

"Oh…" she murmured uneasily, worry creasing her brow as fear began to clutch at her. She immediately fought back her anxiety, forcing herself to remain calm.

The reason for her panic, you see, was that the tall prince was nowhere to be seen, nor was the door through which they had entered the 'stables.' The jungle surrounded her completely on all sides, showing no sign of any form of entrance or exit. It was almost as if she had been completely transported to the jungle…

Rin's anxiety rose again, furiously squeezing her heart as the realization set in that she was entirely alone. Immediately her mind took advantage of her weakness and the moment she had awoken in this strange new world was replayed before her eyes again and again. Frightened, her shoulders bunched up around her neck as a cold chill ran down her spine. She turned swiftly, heart pounding as she watched the tawny white monkey rip into the fruit on the vines. That man that had caused all this, he had worn the pelt of a pure white baboon, hadn't he? Her imagination seized control, warping reality to a dangerous level as her intelligent reasoning was bowled over by her intense fear. She stood still as a statue, her eyes glazed over as she waged an inner war.

'_It's stupid to act this way,'_ Rin told herself while her heart hammered._ 'You're fine, you idiot! FINE! Calm down, there's no reason to act so stupid. Not like you haven't been alone before…'_

Ashamed that she had such a problem controlling herself in any situation that made her nervous, she forced herself to take deep breaths. Her mind still buzzed and her body restricted movements to a jerk, but she was able to calm somewhat.

She was fine, absolutely and completely fine. As long as she stayed exactly where she was, she would be ok. Someone was bound to find her if she stayed put. Sesshoumaru had probably just gone to check something anyway; he wouldn't have left her alone out here…

'_Always saved, never doing anything on her own,'_ a voice sneered from the back of her mind. Rin winced at its critical tone.

She had been about to take a seat in the grass when the thought occurred to her, and now she straightened back up, sighing wearily as guilt prodded her. She was just as frail and helpless as those shojo manga heroine's that her peers seemed to envy so much. No character development, no depth; by accepting her weakness and being intimidated by her position, she was losing her individualism and becoming a stereotype. That was totally unacceptable; she nodded to herself fervently as she thought. She'd have to dig herself out of this inadequacy if she wanted to keep any shred of personality. At that she nearly laughed, noticing that her stern thoughts were correct, but that she was being far too serious about the whole matter. Was her transportation into this world making her think she was some character in a story, or what?

Now yes, the modern-day intellect that she possessed told her that staying put was her best option and provided the most promising chance of survival, but her ego would not have it. Besides, she was probably still in the castle, right? This was probably all just some illusion for the viewer and the animals' benefit; made things seem more "natural." So there really wasn't anything to worry about; she'd be just fine.

Nodding stiffly, she swallowed, unsure as to her choice despite her attempt at being brave.

The smell of the earth permeated her senses, lulling her as she stepped amongst the rich foliage. The calming scent of the plants reminded her of her own world again and a melancholy ache throbbed dully in her heart in reply. A light mist clung to her calves and ankles as it hovered just below the thick leaves of the underbrush. A chill ran up her spine, causing her shoulder's to twitch and goose bumps to rise on her arms and legs.

The elegant perfume of the exotic flowers were almost intoxicating; their sensuous odors so strong that they bordered on overwhelming the senses. Rin investigated a large purple flower that looked like an overgrown orchid. Or at least that's the word that came to mind when she looked at it. She'd never known much about flowers though, so chances were that she was wrong.

"Are you an orchid?" Rin mused aloud as she stroked the flower's soft petals with the tips of her fingers.

After a moment, Rin sighed in dismay. "I wish I could keep you, 'cause you're so pretty, but it wouldn't really be good for you. You'd wilt right away if I picked you, and there's no way that I could preserve you even if I had a way to dig you up…Heh, guess I'll have to visit you a lot then."

Realizing that she was talking to herself again, Rin snapped her jaw shut, cheeks tingeing pink with embarrassment. Moving on, she hoped that no one had noticed her as she gently nudged protruding plants and low-hanging branches aside and continued to explore.

A small sense of adventure had begun to swell in her chest; every beat of her heart pounded excitement throughout her body now, though she was apprehensive to show it. _'I've never been on an adventure before,'_ a childishly excited tone hummed gleefully to her. Rin smiled at the quirky thought, knowing that there was no way she'd admit to such a thing.

A crashing sound to her right invaded her ear, crumbling her thoughts instantly. Her neck snapped in the noise's direction as she flinched away, startled. Completely baffled, her vision went askew until she was able to regain her composure and focus. She mentally kicked herself for not paying attention yet again. Kagome had said that her day-dreaming habits would get her killed someday.

Ahead, a small animals of some sort – a rabbit probably – was bounding madly away, barely visible as it gingerly darted through the underbrush. Rin watched, unable to tear her eyes away until the animal was out of sight.

After a moment, she sighed with relief; beginning to lean backwards, she laughed at herself for being so jumpy. "I am such a freak…"

Her shoulder's found something sturdy to lean against, but the texture certainly wasn't that of a tree. It was far too smooth, and this object – whatever it was – gave under her weight. An odd incline caused her to slip sideways, loosing her footing in her renewed confusion; now her thin shoulders were lodged in a cleft. In a flurry, her mind raced to answer the questions that now presented themselves. Plant? Animal? A monster, perhaps? What was this? What was going on now? Couldn't she stay out of trouble for one minute at least? Was this just an odd tree?

Her eyes roamed what she assumed was the trunk, but before she could decipher much, a large golden eye fixed on her. A Tarnished brown head that was covered in scales contained the eye as a thick, scruffy mane of dark brown hair ran from the peak to the base of the neck. Rin's grin began to fade as a sinking feeling followed her realization of what exactly had scared the rabbit away only moments earlier.

"A-Amaryu?" her lips fumbled with the familiar name, though she knew that this dragon could never be her silver friend. Amaryu had _far_ more grandeur than this creature…

The dragon's jaws parted to show a nice set of sharp teeth; the rancid stench of sulfur leaked forth as a throaty growl rumbled out of what Rin had thought was a trunk. Eyes wide, her nerves jumped to attention, calling forth a wave of adrenaline.

Without thinking, she twirled away, knocking into what felt like a second head with her abrupt action. Another growl met her and she yelped as the large bronze head she'd just try to escape from snapped towards her. She dodged away again, but its teeth sank into the sleeve of her school uniform. As she watched a second head rear upward, she stumbled backward and the fabric tore with a loud rip.

Astonished, Rin landed on her butt in the bushes, her eyes large as the two-headed beast crouched and angrily hissed at her. Rin paid this no heed though, for stuck in the fangs of the first head was a good-sized chunk of her uniform's sleeve. Touching her shoulder, her fingertips hesitantly felt along the frayed edges of her sleeve. Her uniform…the only thing she had left that tied her to her own world…

Jumping to her feet, Rin took two pounding steps toward the dragon – which was seemingly perturbed by her sudden and daring movement – who was growling a warning. Rin mimicked the noises mockingly, anger searing through her. Then, balling up her fist, she brought her knuckles down on the first head's snout sharply with a roar of indignation. The second head – though surprised – wasted no time in trying to attack, but Rin struck out with her other fist and caught it in the temple.

Stunned more than harmed, the bulky reptile slumped. Rin snatched the fabric from its mouth, her limbs trembling from the force of her adrenaline.

"Bad!" she scolded, small tears of rage stinging at the edges of her eyes. "How dare you tear my uniform! This is very important to me and I won't let anyone touch it, you got that?! And as for you-!"

Here she turned to point accusingly at the bush she had landed in when she'd fallen.

"I know you're hiding back there, so you'd better get out!"

Reluctantly, Jiro sidled out from behind the trees, looking as aloof as ever. Rin huffed as he meandered towards her and sat down regally next to the bush.

"What are _you_ doing here?! Where am I?! Why didn't you protect me from this brute?!" Rin jabbed a finger at the two-headed dragon, which flinched away. "And where did Sesshoumaru-sama go?! What in the hell is going on?!"

Out of breath, Rin gasped, her face bright red and her voice hoarse from trying to keep herself from crying. Her adrenaline was nearly spent now and in the lapse of willpower, her anxiety was creeping back in, choking her throat with sobs. Her eyes glistened, but she staved off the tears that her anger and panic had created.

Stuffing the torn scrap of fabric she had retrieved into the pocket of her blouse, she sighed as she collected her thoughts. Now that her adrenaline and anxiety were gone, she was beginning to feel emotionally and mentally spent, though she showed no sign of physical fatigue at all. Her knuckles sure hurt though, the dragon's skin had been tougher than she thought.

She grimaced at the tiny flecks of blood that had welled up in the places where the dragon's scales had scraped the skin away. Deciding she could have suffered much worse, she put the thought aside and turned her attention back to her questions.

"Well?" she prodded, though her attention span was completely shot now. Her mind wandered aimlessly and her eyes went in and out of focus as she looked about.

The two-headed dragon sat on the ground, with both heads lowered and their eyes raised pleadingly towards her. She would have laughed at such a look on a dragon had it not been for the fact that Jiro had vanished once again.

* * *

Aack, it's been so long again!! I am so, so sorry to you all!! I've been really busy at school with projects and stuff and technically I should be typing up two short stories, a book report, and finishing two art pieces for my exam portfolio by Tuesday, but I really wanted to get this up.

All of my other stories shall be updated soon! I swear!! _A Single Wish_'s new chapter is already complete, I just have'ta re-type it since my old computer will not transfer the document.

**FANART NEWS!** w00t! I got a new piece up on my deviantArt page of Rin and Jiro, just for you all!! Yepp, and I've updated my profile with direct links to all of my fanfiction-related fanart too. Just so you don't have'ta search my gallery for one specific piece anymore. Hope you enjoy!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Review Please.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

_Lost World_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Nineteen – Magic_

She stared at the patch of earth where Jiro had been seated only moment before, her thoughts frozen in place. Presently, she came back to herself and a touch of frustration rippled through her. It wasn't like her to become angry though, and she disliked herself when she did, but she couldn't help but be annoyed like any of human being at times.

Jiro always seemed to run off and appear again at the most random of times. Then again, he was just an animal, and she couldn't blame him for not wanting to be around her all the time. She smiled sadly to herself at this thought and shrugged her shoulders with a sigh.

The dragon, still nursing his bruised pride and rubbing his muzzle, stared at her in curious wariness. Her sudden change in breathing patterns had startled the reptile, for it had sounded like a hiss of challenge to his ears, but her posture gave no hint of any sort of hostility. The two heads glanced about in either direction uncertainly, unable to sense any sort of disturbance that might have provoked the girl to utter a challenge but remain unguarded. They found nothing, nor did the dragon sense that she planned to advance on him.

Cautiously, he nosed forward, sniffing at her as he glanced up and around with his other head.

Rin turned, scuffing the dirt as she dragged her feet wearily. Startled, the dragon backed away, keeping both heads low to the ground, grumbling deep in his throat as he kicked up a cloud of dirt and grass in Rin's direction. Similarly startled, Rin started back, eyes wide in shock. Despite her earlier loss of composure, the fight had gone out of her completely now.

For a moment the two of them stared at each other, watching to see what the other would do next. Slowly, Rin lowered her arms, which she'd crossed over herself defensively when the dragon had startled her. Sighing again, she turned away from the dragon and walked off, looking around herself carefully in case she should find some sign that Jiro had passed by.

* * *

"Why are you following me?" Rin mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at the two-headed dragon quizzically. It had not even been twenty minutes since she'd started walking again, and the dragon had plodded along behind her at a safe distance the entire time.

Rin was confounded, not sure if she should be frightened by the vicious-looking beast or frustrated that it was following her around after she'd given its snout a good boxing earlier. In truth, she was inwardly elated that she had a companion and was eager to pet and cuddle the mythical beast. What an unheard of circumstance- she'd have to be crazy not to take advantage of being able to study such a creature. Frowning, she chastised herself for not having her sketchbook with her once again.

"I mean, it's ok that you're following me, I just don't understand why," Rin said, knowing that the dragon probably didn't understand and was not likely to respond.

Rin paused, her attention caught by a curious thing that she'd barely seen out of the corner of her eye. She turned slightly, surprised by a sign that appeared to be attached to a mossy vine that was stretched between two trees a good twenty-five yards apart. In sharp, complex letters, the sign read something that she couldn't make out from her stand point. The words appeared to be English, but she couldn't be sure since many western cultures used the English alphabet. Drawing closer, she squinted her eyes in concentration, trying to recall her lessons on pronunciation and understanding the word.

"M-Ma…n…ti…core, Manticore." Rin swelled, proud of herself for figuring out such a complicated word when she'd been away from school for so long. _'And I've never even heard of this before either,'_ she praised inwardly.

Even as she praised herself, her spirits dwindled again. If she had no idea what the word was, then how was she supposed to know what the sign meant? Not about to give up though, she set about figuring it out, her mind working furiously as she read the word over and over again to herself.

"Manticore," she mumbled, and an itchy sort of suspicion prodded at her teasingly from the back of her mind. Try as she might though, the thought would not come forward; teasing her all the more with subtle hints of familiarity as it mockingly evaded her mental grasp. What could it be? The word was clearly written in the English alphabet, so it had to be a word of western origin and despite nagging doubts, she was sure that the word was associated with Britain somehow, or that area thereabouts.

Looking back up, she saw that a strange bulk had situated itself among the foliage beyond the sign without even the slightest sound. She didn't recall the dark mass being there earlier, but the dragon seemed interested, for his rounded ears had perked forward and both heads snaked back and forth cautiously as they eyed the thing before them. So, she hadn't overlooked it, then?

It moved, a lumbering motion that in actuality made little noise at all, but caused one to imagine that they heard the yawning of wood and the creak and pop of old bones and joints as the creature rose.

A distinguishable head appeared, and the rest of the creature's body slowly followed. Rin's eyes widened her heart pounding with excitement and fright as she whispered a soft 'oh' to herself. The taunting knowledge from the back of her mind leapt forward at that moment, realization flooding her as she recalled why the word had seemed so familiar.

Uncurling completely, the Manticore stood at last, turning towards Rin slowly.

It was an unsightly beast, with the withered face of an old man and a scraggly mane that could have been the face's hair. A well-muscled body, like that of a lion, made the head all the more gruesome in appearance. The mighty paws, as big around as Rin's head, were well-groomed and deadly. The knife-sharp black claws stood out brilliantly from the lush red fur on the beast's body. Most dangerous of all, though, was a thick, black scorpion's tail that curled up and was positioned to strike over the Manticore's back. The point of the deadly weapon was hooked and shone as if it had been newly polished.

Despite the ugliness of the Manticore's face, there seemed to be a dangerous sort of intelligence hidden behind its yellowed eyes. Sly, cunning, to approach the creature unprepared would be folly; all of this ran through her mind as she looked the monster over.

The two-headed dragon gave a whimpering growl and backed away, gnashing its fangs at the Manticore, which seemed not to notice in the slightest.

The Manticore came forward and for a moment Rin expected it to speak; but no, she thought to herself, despite the sly intelligence of this creature, she somehow already knew that it was incapable of speech. And even if it could speak, it would not speak to her.

Stopping just five feet short of her, the wretched face watched her as intently as she was watching it, though it showed no fascination or interest in what it saw. The old man's face was lined with age and almost seemed as if it were made of dust; a single touch would cause it to crumble, and when she thought of this, her mental image of the creature suddenly collapsed inward. For a moment the Manticore looked defenseless, like it were nothing but a frail old man, but she blinked and swept that notion away immediately. A trick conjured by the beast's magic, perhaps?

"You can't come past here," Rin said softly, indicating the sign with the carved sign on it.

The creature made no show of having understood her, or even seemed conscience of her small movement. Despite this, Rin knew that her realization was not false; it all made sense now as she pieced it together.

The two trees with the vine stretched between them acted as a sort of barrier that the Manticore could not cross. As far as she could see, there were no other such obstructions, so the Manticore had freedom of movement in practically all directions.

Investigating further, Rin noticed that she was standing on an overgrown - but still noticeable - pathway. Or at least it appeared that way because the ground had been stomped flat and had all the familiarity of a hiker's trail in a forest. Perhaps it was even the trail used by creatures in the wood; she knew deer and other such animals had such habits of following the same paths.

Curious, she pondered this as her eyes followed the trail in either direction. Was this what Inutaishou had meant by 'the stalls?'

The two-headed dragon snorted aggressively, shocking her out of her thoughts.

"Uh?" she mumbled, looking about.

The Manticore was retreating, seemingly disinterested, with a slow but steady gait that made it appear old and tired. The further away it went, the more brittle the vine that held the sign became. The beast had disappeared amongst the foliage by the time the vine had completely withered away and the carved sign became a budding sapling.

Although she was dismayed that the Manticore had left, Rin's attention was drawn away by the strange occurrence with the vine. She stared at the sapling in wonder, completely captivated by the whole proceeding. She knelt down carefully, her fingers twittering towards the plant slowly. Though she seemed fearful of harming it, there was an eager fascination in her eyes that begged to be quenched.

Stopping, she chewed on her bottom lip, her index finger only an inch away from the nearest leaf. Suppose the tree were dangerous to touch? Her curiosity was nearly brimming over though, not allowing her to deny it; besides, just a little touch couldn't hurt, could it?

Lightly, she tapped the leaf, and then waited expectantly, but nothing happened. Relieved, she traced along the thin branches delicately, afraid to touch the tree with any of her other fingers.

Twisting, twirling, the budding little branch reached up and wrapped about her forefinger as she stroked it. Startled, she held herself very still, staring at her finger in amazement.

It was so strange- everything in this world was just one puzzlement after another. Almost like Alice's Wonderland, there seemed to be little rhyme or reason to the things about her, but underneath was a complex and intricate system to which everything adhered. She fleetingly wondered if she could deny gravity and thus float in this world- but a gripping anxiety forced her to abandon that notion altogether. She liked the idea of flying - or free-floating as it would be - but being able to get back down might prove to be quite the predicament.

Carefully, she pulled her finger out of the tight hold that the plant had on her, breathless at the way that the sapling had flourished at her touch. She'd seen a plant that would close its leaves if they were brushed, but never had she even heard of a plant that grew when it was touched. Just the idea seemed illogical!

"Amazing," Rin breathed, staring at the tree in fascination. She'd have to remember every detail of this moment, for she was determined to record it all now. Such a spectacular find!

Standing, she nodded to herself, still staring at the tree with glowing wonderment. Yes, she'd have to find her way back soon, before she forgot any of the details.

"Alright then, time to go," Rin said to herself cheerily, turning about.

A light blue-black face stared back into hers with large eyes that seemed to contain no pupil at all. Rin cried out in surprise, jumping back. It was the white monkey from earlier.

"Oh, just you," Rin breathed, her muscles stiff. _'A lot of animals in this world have white fur, that's odd.'_ She thought to herself at the same time.

The world around her was black, the plants had faded away, even the two-headed dragon was gone; all that remained was Rin and the monkey.

"Ah?!" Rin gasped, clutching her arms to her chest as she pulled back uncertainly. Now what?

"You are very well guarded, girl," a sultry voice seemed to come from every direction, a hint of annoyance in the tone.

Rin froze, knowing the voice all too well; but what was he doing here? Wasn't this area within the castle walls? She'd supposed that the forest was an illusion at first, but perhaps it wasn't. In the back of her mind, she screamed for help, her mental pleas crying out for Sesshoumaru, but she was too stubborn to do so. What obligation did he have to her anyway; what right did she have to call for his aid? Wasn't this her problem in the first place?

The white monkey cackled loudly and scampered off, disappearing into the darkness.

"Sesshoumaru-sama cannot reach you in this place," he seemed to be laughing at her as she quaked. "Are you frightened without him near?"

Silky fabric brushed against her and she jumped away, terrified of what would befall her if she should let herself be captured. What did this man want with her? For what purpose was he tormenting her so?

* * *

"A…friend of Rin's?" Kagome stared at the bespectacled girl, dumbfounded. "From school?"

Kagome could hardly believe what she was hearing; there was no way that this could be true. Rin had never mentioned any friends from school, had barely even talked of her school days at all. She knew that her sister had never been the social type either, and it seemed odd that a friend would appear out of the blue after Rin had disappeared.

The girl standing before her did not react or explain herself though, simply waiting patiently to be asked inside. Her quick black eyes found the red blossom that Kagome held suddenly and her brows stitched together. Reaching up, she quickly knocked the flower out of Kagome's hand, being careful not to touch it and ground it beneath her heel with a grumble of spite.

"You shouldn't have touched that, it's dangerous," she advised Kagome, who was staring in shock at her opened hand.

"Hey you," she began aggressively, starting forward. How dare this girl come to her house and then slap her hands and crush Rin's flower!

The girl shouldered past her, however, and walked on inside, seemingly unconcerned. She looked about carefully, studying the room as she took off her shoes and lowered her school bag.

Kagome was furious now and whirled around, stomping towards the intruder angrily. "What do you think you're doing, you-"

The stranger cut her short, holding up her hand for silence as she set her bag down and readjusted her glasses. "Excuse me," she said in a monotone but with a polite attitude. "I am Takahashi Rumiko, I believe I can bring back Rin-chan."

Kagome stared at her again, dumbstruck. _'What? Bring her back?'_

* * *

Ah, sorry about the wait again everyone, school has been a monster and I was busy over Spring Break as well, but I was able to pull this out for you!

Rin meets again with Naraku, and Kagome is met by someone who claims they know how to get Rin back?! Woah! Haha, well, things should start to come together much more nicely by the next chapter and the big secret as to why Sesshoumaru keeps changing into Jiro at such random times will be explained! (I hope.) Some definite affection between the two should start to show as well soon too, which is what I know everyone had been waiting for. Sorry!!! It's so hard to create a relationship with Sesshoumaru, he just refuses to cooperate! (Hmph!)

Heh and yes, I named the strange girl "Rumiko" for a reason. I started thinking about the character herself and thought: 'Hey, Rumiko-sensei should make an appearance, and that would be a perfect role for her as well.' And thus Rumi-chan was named, though I don't plan to base her personality on Rumiko-sensei's. (If I knew much about Rumiko-sensei's personality anyway….)

With that I must bid you adieu, much to do still and little time to do it in! See ya next chapter!

Review Please.


	20. Chapter Twenty

_Lost World_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Twenty – Snared_

That silky voice that frightened her to her very core was mixed in with her echoing cries, reaching, searching for her with an amused malice.

_"We are the same, you and I."_

She felt a cool palm caress her cheek and she shivered in disgust and fright. When she reached to knock it away, however, there was nothing there, and yet the sensation of a chilled touch still tickled her skin.

"No," Rin whimpered as the hairs on the nape of her neck rose in warning. She swatted behind her, trying to stave off the phantasm as she turned and twisted, continuing to fall.

She hated this; she wanted to escape, to strike back, to at least feel some control in the situation, but she seemed incapable of anything.

Suddenly, the world was right-side-up again, and she stood in the darkness as if nothing had happened previously. She quaked violently and would have stumbled if weight were a factor in this strange place she'd fallen into; for even as she stood in the darkness, she could sense below her feet that she was suspended somehow, possibly floating, but she was not on solid ground and supporting her own weight, she knew that. The whole thing was quite unnerving, if not fascinating, and if it had not been for the disembodied presence that still lurked somewhere around her, she might have taken to investigating the situation.

The man in the white pelt knelt before her, materializing out of the darkness, and bent his head.

"We are not so different," and from within his robes came a hand, extended towards her. Uncurling his fingers, she saw the tiny sapling that she had touched and watched take root only moments before. The empty sockets of the baboon's pale face leered at her.

Without thinking, she reached towards it carefully, feeling as if she were drawn to the plant.

_"We both create,"_ his voice frightened her, but it seemed to melt into the background and become unimportant as she looked at the young tree.

Slowly and carefully, her fingers plied the sapling from his grasp, lifting it out of his palm and nestling it close to herself protectively as she preened the leaves with her opposite hand lovingly. She felt soothed by the plant's presence, and she mused lightly to herself as her perception of the danger around her abated. She'd have to put it back in the ground soon if she didn't want it to whither…

The little tree grew again, the roots wrapping about her fingers lightly as tiny flower buds formed at the tips of the branches. The flowers bloomed…

_"…And we both destroy."_

…a bright red that flared out and consumed itself. Like dried blood, the petals turned a sickly brown and curled in on themselves, stiff and brittle. Some fell, withered, dead, to the empty abyss below her, where their faint coloring disappeared within seconds against the black. The tree went limp, sagging exhaustedly as it waned from green to yellow to brown and then crumpled into dust.

Rin jumped, thrusting her hands away from her with a yelp of surprise and despair.

"N-no," she felt the wind catch in her throat, confusion and shock sending her mind into a frenzy.

The white pelt loomed forward, startling her with its sharp, bright contrast to the inky blackness of her surroundings. The withered face of the monkey leaned down towards her, closer and closer until it was a mere few inches from her face. The scent of death and tanned leather assaulted her nose immediately, and before she could react, the baboon's face had become warped, resembling now the ragged, elderly face of the Manticore.

Rin's breath caught in her throat again as she recognized the yellowed, mournful eyes and the weathered skin, aged and raw. The Manticore had been a disguise? No, that couldn't be, there was no way that this fiend could get into an area protected by Inutaishou…was there?

Feebly, she tried to back away, but her efforts proved fruitless. Despite her attempts, she was merely drifting, and even that was gaining her any more ground than a few centimeters a minute. She felt as if her movements were hampered like when she was underwater, or even in a dream. Suddenly, a thought sparked in her mind, but it was overpowered as the baboon loomed forward again, this time threatening to engulf her.

She gave a plaintive squeak and threw up her arms to guard herself, but she received no impact. Lowering her arms, she looked about, but there was nothing, not even the faintest hint of her aggressor was anywhere.

An echoing laughter chilled her as it reverberated around her, seeming to pull coax her gently as it rang out.

_"Ku, ku, ku, if the tree withered from your touch alone, what effect do you think your mere __**presence **__is having on this world? …On your friends?"_

It was like she had just been shot through the heart, her eyes grew wide and fearful as the words wound their way through her mind, planting seeds of doubt. Was that why Sesshoumaru never seemed to want to be around her? Was she hurting Koto and the others just by being near them? A sick churning knotted her stomach and she knew that she had gone pale. Nervously, she pulled at her fingers and then balled them up fearfully as she pulled her arms closer to herself again. What if- what if she made them disappear in the same way that she'd done with the tree?

A cold, icy hand stroked her cheek again, holding her chin as another arm sought to pull her closer. Rin was so consumed in her thoughts, though, that she realized none of this, or rather, seemed unable to notice at all.

The knot in her stomach tightened and she felt tears sting at the edges of her eyes. Biting on her bottom lip, she tried to shove the thoughts aside. No way, there was no way that could be true. Stuff like that only happened in shoujo manga, and besides, there was no proof outside of what she'd seen in this odd place that it was even real. The idea that had popped into her head earlier suddenly returned and she hurried to grasp on to it. In this fleeting moment of confidence, she wasn't about to let go just yet. _'Get it together, Rin!'_

The thought was slippery, weaving and darting away from her, dancing just on the edge of her reasoning before jumping away again. Frustration made her desperate and desperation caused her to lose focus; if she wasn't careful, she'd forget the idea altogether. Then, just as she'd nearly reached her limit and was about to give up the struggle, it hit her.

This was all just a dream! There was no other explanation, it just had to be.

As if a bomb had gone off, a tremor suddenly rippled through her and continued onward, outward, up and away until the very core of her surroundings was trembling from the unseen blow. Rin flinched, every hair on her body felt like it was standing up as the wave of realization passed from her, leaving her mind clear again.

The man in the baboon suit seemed to have been pushed back by the tremors, because he was hunched some way off now, breathing heavily. Rin felt her heart jump; what was she going to do now? Before she could even finish the thought, though, a hand was about her neck and she felt herself knocked down. The hand didn't constrict or even make more than the simplest of efforts to keep her down, but still the blow had knocked the wind from her.

_"Ku ku ku, if you're not careful, you'll lose everything __**that way**__, Rin-chan,"_ he laughed again when she shivered and attempted to ply his hand off her throat.

"W-what-!" Before she could finish, though, she found herself engulfed by water, the surface shimmering just beyond her reach, and a hoard of bubbles escaped her as she cried out in surprise. Frantically, she tried to force him away from her, but he just continued to laugh, unaffected by the water around them.

_'It's just a dream, it's not real, it's just a dream,'_ Rin thought to herself, but to no avail. Her body was convinced that she was drowning, and no amount of mind-over-matter chanting would cause it to alter at this point.

Her eyes stung, her throat burned and her lungs were screaming in dismay as an inky blackness loomed around her. Her limbs grew heavier and despite her efforts to continue thrashing, her muscles wouldn't respond without oxygen. Two red eyes was the last she saw as her eyes closed…

* * *

"Another world?!" Kagome had half a mind to throw the young girl out of her house. First she came barging in and now she was talking about Rin being spirited away to some other _world_? Just how stupid did this girl think she was? Just because she lived at a shrine didn't mean that she believed in all of that weird stuff her grandfather was always going on about!

Rumiko looked back at her seriously, not even the slightest hint of humor in her features. "Well, in a way yes, and no. It's more of a… shadow-world of our own, I suppose you could call it."

Kagome's jaw hung open in shock and anger. Was this girl serious? She looked every bit like someone telling the truth, but her story was just ludicrous! Perhaps she was insane?

The girl adjusted her glasses and took to investigating the room, poking her head down the hall on either side before pointing to her left. "Rin-chan's room is in this direction, correct?"

Kagome jumped forward, feeling the last of her patience snap as she followed after Rumiko, who had gone on down the hall without waiting for an answer to her question.

"Hey, get out of there," Kagome yelled when Rumiko opened the shouji doors to Rin's room and walked inside nonchalantly.

Kagome stopped dead as she reached the door, startled when several pieces of paper had been shoved ruthlessly towards her. "Eh?"

"Look," Rumiko adjusted her glasses again, frowning as she jabbed a finger at an illustration on one of the pages. Kagome opened her mouth to speak when her eyes caught a glimpse of motion on the page. She stopped, speechless, staring at the drawing, or rather, what was happening to the drawing.

It was…disappearing…

* * *

Naraku knelt on the forest floor, his hand lightly pressed against Rin's throat as she convulsed, her eyes closed. Her breathing was heavy and then choked, but she didn't stir into wakefulness at all. Naraku chuckled to himself as she finally fell still, her breathing even, but her face deathly pale.

He picked Rin up effortlessly, gathering the white robe about himself as he stood. Stopping, though, he turned back and smirked as Sesshoumaru stepped from amongst the brush, threateningly flexing his claws on one hand.

"Ah, Prince Sesshoumaru," Naraku made a show of bowing slightly. "Out for a walk?"

"Put her down," Was his cold reply.

Naraku drew Rin closer, placing her face very close to his own and stroking her cheek delicately with his other hand. "Ku ku ku, can the Prince of the West not keep track of his things? Or perhaps," Naraku traced a claw along Rin's throat, "you are afraid?"

Sesshoumaru's face stayed blank, his eyes following Naraku's movements lazily. Still, there was a cold steel hidden there.

"Release her," he ordered again, this time laying a hand to his sword.

The claw that Naraku had been tracing along Rin's throat halted and the slightest pressure was added as he looked up at Sesshoumaru. "And what if you hit the girl? Wouldn't that be most unfortunate?"

Sesshoumaru's hand stayed on the hilt of his sword, but he relinquished his grip, his brows narrowing visibly in anger.

Neither spoke; the dead pause had the air around them crackling with sparks of hatred. Even as she slumbered somewhere inside herself, Rin felt the inklings of their confrontation and shifted uneasily. Naraku smirked wider when she struggled lightly.

"It would appear that she's afraid," Naraku laughed and stroked her face again, engrossed in his mockery of the Demon Prince before him. "Ku ku ku, poor thing."

Sesshoumaru saw his opening; Naraku had dropped his guard, if just for a second, to devote his attentions to taunting Sesshoumaru. In a flash, Sesshoumaru had jumped forward, coming at Naraku from the side. The other had the briefest time to react, and he did, though he did not come out of the attack unscathed. Naraku had dropped Rin and dodged back away from Sesshoumaru, who now stood over her protectively, with a look of anger.

He smoothed his features over immediately though, smirking as he looked from the girl to Sesshoumaru. Darkness pulled at him as he let the wound on his cheek bleed freely. "Ku ku ku, do not think that I have given up, good Prince; this is just the beginning."

And then he was gone, swallowed by the dark vortex that had grown behind him as he spoke. Sesshoumaru growled softly, shaking the few droplets of blood from his fingers as he backed down. Kneeling, he paused as he looked Rin over; she was still pale, but there was some hint of color returning to her cheeks now, and her breathing was soft but audible.

Gently, he picked her up.

* * *

I'd like to thank my friend, Skittlez, a lot for her help on that last leg of the chapter there! I had a big brain fart/writer's block moment and was fretting about keeping the characters IC, but she talked me through it and was very helpful. Thanks so much, Skitz!!

Hee, thanks for the reviews, you guys! I really appreciate it! And I'll try to update again really soon, since I'm on break and all.

Well, Happy 4th to you all and see ya soon! Ja'ne!

Review Please.


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